How Smartwatches Track Sleep?

Introduction – How Smartwatches Track Sleep

How smartwatches track sleep? In this article, we will tell you how smartwatches track sleep and we will also cover topics like apple smartwatch measure sleep and how you can enable sleep tracking feature in your smartwatch.

Smartwatches are revolutionizing the way we live our lives. From keeping us connected to serving us up notifications and alerts, smartwatches are quickly becoming a part of our daily routine.

But one thing many people fail to realize is that smartwatches can also track your sleep patterns. The same can be said for Fitbits and other health tracking devices that are getting increasingly popular nowadays.

What do sleep-tracking smartwatches monitor?

Although the majority of smartwatches and fitness trackers now track sleep, not all of them do, and even the most affordable ones can provide some level of tracking. Here is what you will probably receive.

• Duration of sleep

All sleep-tracking wearables will at the very least inform you of your duration of sleep or wakefulness.

• Information about how well you sleep

Many sleep monitors can also let you know if your sleep was peaceful or restless. You may be given a sleep rating.

• Information on the many stages of sleep

Numerous sleep monitors assert to be able to tell you how much time you spend in each stage of sleep (Light, Deep, REM, or Non-REM and REM).

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• Alarm for the sleep cycle

Some will awaken you closest to the time you’ve requested at the ideal period in your sleep cycle. It will largely rely on your personality whether you find this useful or not.

Participants got up earlier than expected in a University of Bologna research of smartphone sleep cycle alarms, which may have been due to their anxiety at the thought of the early clock.

• Identification of sleep problems

Some are able to identify sleep apnoea, a potentially significant medical condition when breathing intermittently stops and resumes while you’re asleep. It’s crucial to remember that they are not medical gadgets, therefore you shouldn’t rely on them. You can discuss it with your doctor if they do raise any concerns, though.

A watch must have a pulse oximeter, pulse oximetry sensor, or an oxygen saturation sensor to be able to perform this (the ability to gauge the level of oxygen saturation in your blood).

Additionally, some will provide you with suggestions for improving your sleep and serve as a dashboard or journal for you to keep track of things like your caffeine and exercise intake that can be interfering with your sleep.

How smartwatches track sleep?

“Accelerometers,” motion sensors incorporated into smart watches, measure movement. The major goal of their study is to track a sleeping person’s every movement. Slow sleep is when a person moves around in a dream more frequently. On the other hand, a person can sleep practically motionlessly during the rapid phase.

In addition to having an accelerometer built in, smart watches also have heart rate sensors, sound and sound analysis features, and sleep recording capabilities. Smart devices can pick up on the more varied sounds that people can create while they are in REM slumber.

While you sleep at night, the smart watch also checks your pulse and analyses your heart rate. An exclusive mobile application designed for smart watches allows users to view and track all information in comprehensive form.

Also learn: Are Watches Cheaper in Switzerland?

Do smartwatches that track sleep actually work?

Older and less expensive wrist-worn sleep monitors use an accelerometer to identify sleep automatically. The tracker will think you are sleeping if you are motionless for a predetermined amount of time or if your actions, like turning over, are seen to be typical sleep behaviour.

Modern models are typically more accurate since they have more data to work with when detecting your heart rate and respiration. Even these, though, may mistakenly believe you have slept when you have simply been napping on the couch or believing you have not slept at all if your sleep has been brief.

Providing simple access to data

Even though wearables aren’t ideal at capturing your sleep patterns, they can nevertheless give you the information in a way that is simple to understand, such as graphs and charts on the companion app.

Additionally, many of them include extra capabilities that can help you track changes in your sleep over time and identify patterns so that, over time, you can develop a clear understanding of how your everyday behaviours affect your sleep, and vice versa.

Additionally, merely becoming more aware of the need for more sleep might inspire healthier sleeping habits, which in turn can result in better sleep.

However, don’t let the information from your smartwatch or fitness tracker worry you too much. Wearables can help you better understand your sleep, according to Dr. Heather Morgan, lecturer in applied health sciences at the University of Aberdeen and an expert in digital health and fitness tracking. She also told us that analyzing her own sleep helped her establish a better sleep routine.

However, she cautions, “exercise your discretion and be aware of your nature.” Sleep tracking might not be for you if you are prone to anxiety. Trying to achieve the perfect sleep could become another obsession, which unfortunately could prevent you from falling asleep.

How Apple Smartwatch monitors sleep?

Rarely does Apple fall far behind rival companies, but up until recently, you had to use a third-party software like Pillow because Apple didn’t have its own sleep app.

But starting with watchOS 7, you can monitor your sleep using the built-in Sleep app from Apple. Along with the new Apple Watch Series 7, Watch OS 7 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 3, 4, 5, and SE.

Check to see if your operating system has been upgraded if you own an older version. The Series 1 or Series 2 are incompatible with WatchOS 7, though.

The Sleep app on your Apple Watch can determine when and how you’re sleeping based on your movement and heart rate once you’ve configured sleep monitoring on the device. You can use it to request a wake-up alarm, establish sleep goals, and plan sleep times.

Additionally, you can set a wind-down time, which instructs the watch to enter Sleep Mode (which disables the display and activates Do Not Disturb) for a certain amount of time before you go to bed.

We weren’t overly satisfied with the Apple Sleep app, much to our own surprise. Apart from the heart rate data, not much of the information is very useful despite how packed it is.

We’ve tried a lot of other watches that are more user-friendly for tracking sleep and offering information. Additionally, you won’t receive information on sleep stages, albeit as we previously stated, such information shouldn’t be interpreted too strictly.

If you were previously using Pillow, you are free to do so again. However, Apple Watches are also known for having short batteries; you’ll probably need to charge yours every night. So, if tracking your sleep is important to you, an Apple Watch isn’t the ideal option.

Also learn: Why Watches are Worn on the Left Hand?

Why is it necessary to measure sleep quality?

Modern smart watches and fitness bracelets have been created that enable everyone to track their sleep. In the form of graphs and descriptions, several smart gadget models monitor and display sleep cycles, stages, and quality.

These tools allow you to keep track of all the sleep signs. Smartwatches can enhance general wellbeing by enhancing sleep quality.

The measurement of sleep quality also aids in establishing regular bedtimes and morning wake-up times. Smart watches give you the ability to keep track of all the specific data and wake the user up when required.

How to activate sleep monitoring in smart watches?

Smart Watch has the ability to track the consistency and volume of sleep and offer the required advice. When using this feature, you must:

• Use Bluetooth to link your smartphone to your smart watch or fitness wristband.
• the matching mobile application should be launched.
• Open the “Profile” option once your smartwatch and smartphone have been paired.
• Choose the “Smart Analysis” category.
• Switch on “Sleep quality analysis.”

You can then go to bed, and the watch will start to start recording information about your body’s condition. The mobile application will show more specific information under the same category, “Sleep quality analysis,” after you wake up.

Conclusion – How Smartwatches Track Sleep

There are several different ways that smartwatches track sleep and the more common one is to use the accelerometer to measure duration of sleep. We really hope you have learnt how smartwatches track sleep, we would love to hear your feedback in the comment section below.