Miya Pearson
Wearable sleep trackers are devices, usually worn on the wrist, that use sensors to record movement, heart rate, and sometimes even oxygen levels. They can provide unique insights into your sleep habits, such as how quickly you fall asleep and whether you toss and turn throughout the night. Two popular options on the market are the Apple Watch and Fitbit, but which one offers better sleep tracking? This comparison will delve into the features and capabilities of each device to determine which one might give you a better understanding of your sleep.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| User-friendliness | Fitbit is lauded for its user-friendly interface and straightforward sleep score. Apple Watch ensures a user-friendly experience and easy compatibility across accessories for those already familiar with the Apple ecosystem. |
| Versatility | Fitbit's strength lies in its simplicity and focus on core features, activity tracking, health metrics, and fitness tools. Apple Watch offers an extensive range of smartwatch features, making it a versatile accessory for day-to-night use. |
| Sleep tracking features | Fitbit offers insights into sleep duration, consistency, different sleep stages, and an overall sleep score. Apple Watch measures sleep duration, heart rate, and movement disturbances, with third-party apps providing deeper insights. |
| Battery life | Fitbit devices have longer battery life, making them easier to use for sleep tracking without frequent charging. Apple Watch's shorter battery life may require charging during the day if used overnight for sleep tracking. |
| Compatibility | Fitbit can sync with both iOS and Android devices, making it a better option for Android users. Apple Watch is exclusive to iPhone owners. |
| Price | Fitbit offers a more affordable lineup of smartwatches compared to Apple Watch. |
| Sleep apnea detection | A 2017 study found that both Apple Watch and Fitbit devices, when paired with an AI neural network, can detect sleep apnea. |
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What You'll Learn
Apple Watch's sleep tracking features
Apple Watches have come a long way in terms of sleep-tracking capabilities. In 2019, Apple acquired a sleep-monitoring company called Beddit, and since then, the company has been working on integrating sleep-tracking features into its smartwatches.
With the release of WatchOS 9 in September 2022, Apple Watches gained the ability to track sleep stages and cycles. This update allowed Apple Watches to compete more closely with Fitbit devices, which have long been popular for sleep tracking. While there is not yet a consensus on which device is more accurate for sleep tracking, some users report that the Apple Watch 7 more accurately shows their sleep onset time and the times they wake up during the night.
Apple Watches use sensors to track sleep duration, heart rate, and movement disturbances. However, unlike Fitbit, Apple does not provide a sleep score. Apple's sleep tracking is linked to alarms and can integrate with the iPhone to turn off notifications 30 minutes before bedtime. Additionally, Apple's sleep features focus on the entire sleep experience, helping users prepare for bed and establish consistent sleep schedules.
While Apple Watches have improved in sleep tracking, they still face challenges with battery life. The relatively short battery life compared to Fitbit devices means that users may need to charge their Apple Watch during the day if they use it for sleep tracking. This has been a significant drawback for users who want to track their sleep continuously for multiple days.
In summary, Apple Watches offer robust sleep-tracking capabilities, including duration, heart rate, and movement tracking. However, the lack of a sleep score and shorter battery life compared to Fitbit may be considerations for users seeking a dedicated sleep-tracking device.
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Fitbit's sleep tracking features
Fitbit has been a leader in the fitness and sleep tracking market for years. Its sleep tracking features are comprehensive and user-friendly, offering insights into various aspects of your sleep. Here are some of the key sleep tracking features of Fitbit devices:
Sleep Stages and Quality
Fitbit devices track your sleep stages and provide insights into the quality of your sleep. This includes metrics such as sleep schedule variability, sleep start time, time before sound sleep, sleep duration, deep sleep, REM sleep, and restorative sleep. Fitbit's Sleep Profile assigns you a "sleep animal" based on your rest-related habits, giving you a fun and intuitive way to understand your sleep patterns.
Sleep Score
Fitbit provides an overall sleep score ranging from 0 to 100. This score is based on three individual sleep scores for duration, quality, and restoration. This simple numerical ranking system gives you a quick snapshot of your sleep quality.
Heart Rate Tracking
Fitbit devices can track your sleeping heart rate, providing insights into your sleep quality and restorative sleep. This feature helps you understand how your heart rate fluctuates during sleep and can indicate moments of restlessness or deep sleep.
Snore and Noise Detection
Fitbit's microphone feature detects snoring and noise levels during sleep. This feature does not save audio recordings but instead provides a summary of the overall noise level and snoring occurrences throughout the night. This information can be helpful in identifying potential sleep disruptions.
Battery Life
Fitbit devices are known for their long battery life, which is crucial for sleep tracking. The Fitbit Inspire 3, for example, can last up to 10 days on a single charge, ensuring that you can track your sleep continuously without frequent charging interruptions.
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Apple Watch's battery life
The Apple Watch's battery life is a consideration when using the device for sleep tracking. While the watch can track sleep, its battery life is relatively short compared to Fitbit devices. The Apple Watch Series 5, for instance, lasts for about a day and a half, while the Fitbit Versa 2 can last for up to five days on a single charge with its always-on-display feature turned off. This difference in battery life can make it challenging to get through the day without needing to charge the Apple Watch, especially when using it for sleep tracking.
To address this, Apple recommends charging the watch to at least 30% before sleep to ensure it can track sleep and last through the next day. Charging the Apple Watch for about 60 to 90 minutes daily can help maintain its battery life for around-the-clock wearability.
With the release of watchOS 7 and later versions, Apple has focused more on sleep tracking. However, the shorter battery life remains a limitation compared to Fitbit devices, which offer more comprehensive metrics and longer battery life, making them more convenient for tracking sleep without frequent charging.
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Fitbit's battery life
The battery life of a Fitbit device varies depending on the model and usage. The Fitbit Charge 6, for example, is said to last around four to five days on a single charge with the always-on-display feature turned off. With that capability switched on, it can last for about two days. This is a much longer duration than the Apple Watch Series 5, which lasts for about a day and a half.
The Fitbit Versa 2 has a similar battery life to the Charge 6, with around four to five days of usage on a single charge without the always-on-display feature. With the feature turned on, the battery life is reduced to about two days.
The Fitbit Charge 5, Charge 6, Inspire 3, Sense 2, Versa 2, and Versa 4 have a battery life of up to three days. The Luxe, Sense, and Versa 3 have a battery life of up to two days. The Charge 4, Charge 5, and Charge 6 have a battery life of up to five hours. The Ionic has a battery life of up to ten hours, while the Sense, Sense 2, Versa 3, and Versa 4 can last up to twelve hours.
To maximise the battery life of a Fitbit device, it is recommended to turn off or reduce the use of certain features, such as the always-on-display and GPS, as these require more frequent charging. Additionally, removing SpO2 tracking can also extend the battery life.
The Fitbit Charge 6 is considered the gold standard for fitness trackers, offering a range of health and activity monitoring features, as well as smartwatch-style additions. Its battery life is advertised to last up to a week between charges, with a moderate use case of around 15% battery drain per day, including tracking runs with the built-in GPS. However, keeping the always-on-display active will result in faster battery drain.
The Fitbit Ace LTE is a kid-focused fitness tracker, while the Amazfit Band 7 is a cheap alternative to the Fitbit, offering impressive sleep-tracking insights, a blood ox sensor, and alerts for abnormal heart rates, along with stress-tracking tools.
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Third-party sleep analysis apps for Apple Watch
While the Apple Watch has built-in sleep tracking capabilities, there are also third-party sleep analysis apps available for those seeking a more in-depth insight into their sleep patterns.
One such app is SleepWatch, which offers sleep tracking, analysis, and coaching to help improve your sleep. It can track your oxygen levels and pre-bedtime behaviours, and it can even tell you if you talk in your sleep. SleepWatch is free to use, but also offers a Premium Membership for additional features.
Sleep Pulse 3 is another third-party sleep tracking app for the Apple Watch. It tracks your heart rate and motion, and features a sleep view that can be accessed when you wake up in the middle of the night, showing your resting heart rate and how long you've been sleeping. Sleep Pulse 3 also allows you to track naps and record sleep talk.
AutoSleep is a favourite among third-party sleep tracking apps, as it can write your sleep data to Apple Health and automatically log sleep when activated on the companion iPhone app.
Sleep++ is one of the most popular sleep tracking apps on the App Store, known for its simplicity. It's a free app that offers additional in-app purchases to remove advertising. Sleep++ automatically tracks your sleep and allows for quick adjustments.
With a range of third-party sleep analysis apps available, Apple Watch users can gain deeper insights into their sleep patterns and make informed decisions to improve their sleep quality.
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Frequently asked questions
The Apple Watch is exclusive to iPhone users, whereas Fitbit can sync with both iOS and Android. The Apple Watch also has a shorter battery life compared to Fitbit.
The Apple Watch has improved its sleep tracking features with the release of WatchOS 9, which can track sleep stages and cycles. The Apple Watch also has a wider range of smartwatch features.
Fitbit offers a simple and user-friendly interface, providing a comprehensive snapshot of your night's sleep. Fitbit also has a longer battery life, which makes it easier to track your sleep.
The Apple Watch has a shorter battery life, which can make it challenging to track your sleep as you may need to charge it during the day. The Apple Watch also does not provide a sleep score.
Fitbit does not have as many features as the Apple Watch. To access all of the data on Fitbit, you need to pay for Fitbit Premium.
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