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Sleep is essential for our health and well-being, but many of us struggle to get enough quality sleep every night. Whether it’s due to stress, lifestyle, or medical conditions, poor sleep can affect our mood, performance, and immunity. That’s why more and more people are turning to sleep trackers to monitor and improve their sleep habits.
But what is a sleep tracker and how does it work? What are the different types of sleep trackers and what features should you look for when choosing one? And what are the best sleep trackers of 2023 that you can buy right now? In this article, we will answer all these questions and more, so you can find the right sleep tracker for your needs.
What is a Sleep Tracker and Why use one?
A sleep tracker is a device that measures various aspects of your sleep, such as how long you slept, how often you woke up, how deep your sleep was, and what stages of sleep you went through. Some sleep trackers also measure other factors that can affect your sleep quality, such as your heart rate, breathing rate, blood oxygen level, body temperature, and environmental noise and light.
By collecting and analyzing this data, a sleep tracker can give you insights into your sleep patterns and habits and provide you with feedback and recommendations on how to improve them. For example, a sleep tracker can tell you if you need to go to bed earlier or later, if you need to adjust your room temperature or lighting, or if you need to avoid caffeine or alcohol before bedtime.
Using a sleep tracker can help you understand your own sleep needs and preferences and optimize your sleep hygiene. This can lead to better sleep quality, which in turn can improve your physical and mental health, productivity, and overall well-being.
Types of Sleep Trackers
There are two main categories of sleep trackers: wearable and non-wearable. Wearable sleep trackers are devices that you wear on your body, such as a watch, a ring, a bracelet, or even a mask or headband. Non-wearable sleep trackers are devices that you place near or under your bed, such as a withings sleep tracking pad, a mat, or a sensor.
Wearable Sleep Trackers
Wearable sleep trackers are the most common type of sleep trackers on the market. They usually use sensors that measure your body movements, heart rate, and sometimes blood oxygen level to estimate your sleep duration and quality. Some wearable devices also have microphones that can detect snoring or other sounds that may disrupt your sleep.
Some examples of wearable sleep trackers are:
Sleep Tracker Ring Oura
Oura Ring is a smart ring that tracks your heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate (RHR), body temperature, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), respiratory rate (RR), movement intensity (MI), steps taken (ST), calories burned (CB), total sleep time (TST), time in bed (TIB), latency to fall asleep (LTF), latency to deep (LTD), latency to REM (LTR), wake after sleep onset (WASO), number of awakenings (NA), percentage of deep (%D), percentage of REM (%R), percentage of light (%L), percentage of awake (%A), smart alarm (SA), trends analysis (TA), insights and tips (IT).
It also has a sleek design that comes in four colors: silver, stealth, black, and gold. It has a long battery life of up to seven days and can sync with other apps via Bluetooth.
Fitbit Sense
Fitbit Sense is a smartwatch that tracks your heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, skin temperature, electrodermal activity (EDA), stress level, steps taken, calories burned, distance traveled, floors climbed, active minutes, sleep time, sleep stages, sleep score, smart wake, sleep mode, do not disturb mode, voice assistant (Alexa or Google Assistant), notifications, calls, texts, music control, GPS, menstrual health tracking, and more. It also has a large AMOLED display that shows your stats and notifications. It has a battery life of up to six days and can sync with other devices or apps via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Muse S
Muse S is a headband that tracks your brain activity (EEG), heart rate, breathing rate, body movements, and ambient noise while you sleep. It also provides you with a personalized sleep report that shows your sleep stages, sleep positions, sleep quality score, and sleep insights. It also has a meditation feature that guides you through different types of meditation sessions with real-time feedback on your brain activity. It has a battery life of up to 10 hours and can sync with other devices or apps via sleep Bluetooth headband.
Non-Wearable Sleep Trackers
Non-wearable sleep trackers are devices that you don’t have to wear on your body. They usually use sensors that measure your body movements, pressure, or vibrations to estimate your sleep duration and quality. Some non-wearable devices also have microphones or cameras that can detect snoring or other sounds or movements that may disrupt your sleep.
Some examples of non-wearable sleep trackers are:
Withings Sleep
Withings Sleep is a mat that you place under your mattress while you sleep. It tracks your heart rate, breathing rate, snoring, sleep time, sleep stages (light, deep, REM), sleep score (based on duration, depth, regularity, interruptions), smart wake-up (wakes you up at the best time in your sleep cycle), IFTTT integration (connects with other smart home devices), health mate app (shows your stats and trends), and more. It also has a battery life of up to one year and can sync with other devices or apps via Wi-Fi.
Beautyrest Sleeptracker
Beautyrest Sleeptracker is a set of two sensors that you place under your mattress while you sleep. It tracks your heart rate, breathing rate, body movements, sleep time, sleep stages (light, deep, REM), sleep efficiency (percentage of time spent asleep), sleep cycles (number of complete cycles), number of awakenings, time to fall asleep, time to wake up, smart alarm (wakes you up at the best time in your sleep cycle), Alexa integration (connects with Amazon Echo devices), Sleeptracker app (shows your stats and trends), and more. It also has a battery backup in case of power outage and can sync with other devices or apps via Wi-Fi.
SleepScore Max
SleepScore Max is a sleep tracking device that you place next to your bed while you sleep. It uses radio waves (similar to Wi-Fi) to measure your chest movements, breathing rate, body movements, sleep time, sleep stages (light, deep, REM), sleep score (based on duration, depth, continuity), smart alarm (wakes you up at the best time in your sleep cycle), SleepScore app (shows your stats and trends), Sleep Guide (provides personalized advice and recommendations), and more. It does not require any contact with your body or mattress and can sync with other devices or apps via Bluetooth.
Smartphone Apps
Smartphone apps are applications that you install on your smartphone or tablet and use to track your sleep habits. They usually use the microphone or the accelerometer of your device to measure your sounds or movements while you sleep. They
then use algorithms to estimate your sleep time, quality, stages, and cycles.
Some smartphone apps also have additional features, such as smart alarms, coaching, music playback, voice assistants, notifications, and more.
The main advantages of smartphone apps are that they are cheap, accessible, easy to use, and versatile. They do not require you to buy or wear any additional device while you sleep. They can also provide you with basic data on your sleep habits and some feedback or tips.
The main disadvantages of smartphone apps are that they can be inaccurate, unreliable, limited, or intrusive. Some apps may not work well with certain types of phones, operating systems, or settings. Some apps may also have limited features or functions compared to other types of sleep trackers. Additionally, some apps may not be very accurate or validated by scientific studies. They may also drain your battery, use your data, or access your personal information.
Some examples of smartphone apps are:
Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle is an app that uses the microphone of your phone to measure your sounds while you sleep. It tracks your sleep time, sleep stages (light, deep, REM), sleep quality (based on sound analysis), smart alarm (wakes you up at the best time in your sleep cycle), snooze mode (allows you to snooze for a few minutes), Sleep Cycle app (shows your stats and trends), and more. It also has a premium version that offers additional features, such as snore detection and prevention, heart rate monitoring, weather report, online backup, and more.
Sleep as Android
Sleep as Android is an app that uses the accelerometer or the microphone of your phone to measure your movements or sounds while you sleep. It tracks your sleep time, sleep phases (light, deep, REM), sleep score (based on duration, regularity, deficit), smart alarm (wakes you up at the best time in your sleep cycle), lullabies (plays soothing sounds to help you fall asleep), sleep talk recording (records any sounds you make while you sleep), snoring detection and prevention, anti-jetlag mode (helps you adjust to different time zones), Sleep as Android app (shows your stats and trends), and more.
It also has a premium version that offers additional features, such as heart rate monitoring, SpO2 monitoring, sonar tracking (uses ultrasound waves to measure your breathing rate), Google Fit integration, and more.
Pillow
Pillow is an app that uses the microphone or the accelerometer of your phone or Apple Watch to measure your sounds or movements while you sleep. It tracks your sleep time, sleep stages (light, deep, REM), sleep quality (based on sound and motion analysis), smart alarm (wakes you up at the best time in your sleep cycle), power nap mode (helps you take a short nap), Pillow app (shows your stats and trends), and more.
It also has a premium version that offers additional features, such as heart rate monitoring, SpO2 monitoring, audio recording (records any sounds you make while you sleep), sleep aid sounds (plays relaxing sounds to help you fall asleep), sleep analysis history (stores your past data), and more.
Features to look for in a sleep Tracker
When choosing a sleep tracker, there are several features that you should consider, depending on your personal preferences and needs. Here are some of the most important ones:
- Accuracy and validation: This is probably the most important factor to consider when choosing a sleep tracker. You want a device or an app that can measure your sleep habits accurately and reliably. You also want a device or an app that has been validated by scientific studies or independent reviews. You can check the accuracy and validation of a sleep tracker by looking at its specifications, methodology, algorithms, sensors, data sources, and references. You can also read user reviews or testimonials to see how other people rate its performance.
- Sleep stages and cycles: This is another important factor to consider when choosing a sleep tracker. You want a device or an app that can measure not only how long you sleep but also how well you sleep. You want a device or an app that can track your sleep stages (light, deep, REM) and cycles (number of complete cycles). These metrics can help you understand how much time you spend in different phases of sleep and how they affect your health and well-being. You can also use these metrics to optimize your sleep schedule and habits.
- Heart rate and oxygen levels: This is another useful factor to consider when choosing a sleep tracker. You want a device or an app that can measure your heart rate and oxygen levels while you sleep. These metrics can help you monitor your cardiovascular and respiratory health and detect any potential problems or risks. They can also help you understand how your sleep quality and quantity affect your heart rate and oxygen levels and vice versa.
- Snoring detection and prevention: This is another helpful factor to consider when choosing a sleep tracker. You want a device or an app that can detect and prevent your snoring while you sleep. Snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea, a serious condition that causes you to stop breathing repeatedly during the night. Snoring can also disturb your sleep quality and your partner’s sleep quality. You want a device or an app that can alert you or your partner when you snore and provide you with solutions to reduce or eliminate your snoring.
- Smart alarm and coaching: This is another beneficial factor to consider when choosing a sleep tracker. You want a device or an app that can wake you up at the best time in your sleep cycle. This can help you feel more refreshed, energized, and alert in the morning. You also want a device or an app that can provide you with coaching or feedback on how to improve your sleep habits and achieve your sleep goals. You want a device or an app that can give you personalized tips and recommendations based on your sleep data and preferences.
- Compatibility and battery life: This is another practical factor to consider when choosing a sleep tracker. You want a device or an app that is compatible with your phone, tablet, computer, or other smart devices. You want a device or an app that can sync with other apps or platforms that you use, such as Google Fit, Apple Health, Alexa, IFTTT, etc. You also want a device or an app that has a long battery life or does not require frequent charging. You want a device or an app that is easy to use and maintain.
- Comfort and design: This is another personal factor to consider when choosing a sleep tracker. You want a device or an app that is comfortable to wear or use while you sleep. You want a device or an app that does not interfere with your sleep quality or disturb your partner. You also want a device or an app that has a design that suits your style and taste. You want a device or an app that is aesthetically pleasing and functional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best type of Sleep Tracker for me?
Choose a sleep tracker based on your needs, budget, and preferences. Consider wearables, non-wearables, or smartphone apps, and read user reviews for insights.
How Accurate are Sleep Trackers?
Sleep tracker accuracy varies by type and can’t match lab tests. Wearables are usually better than apps, but not as precise as polysomnography (PSG). Use tracker data cautiously, it’s not for diagnosis or treatment.
How can I Improve my Sleep Quality and Quantity?
Improve sleep: set routine, avoid blue light, create comfy bedroom. Track sleep with device for insights & consult pros if needed.
What is Beautyrest Sleep Tracker?
Beautyrest sleep tracker is a product line of sleep tracking devices from Beautyrest, a company that specializes in mattresses and bedding products.
How does Sleep Tracker Withings Work?
Sleep tracker withings devices are thin mats that you place under your mattress and connect to a power outlet and your Wi-Fi network. This algorithm to measure your vital parameters throughout the night, such as your sleep cycles, heart rate.
Conclusion
The last way to use a sleep tracker effectively is to conclude this article. You can use your sleep tracker to improve your sleep health and well-being. By choosing the right type and features of a sleep tracker, you can measure and optimize your sleep habits and environment.
By following some simple tips, you can use your sleep tracker effectively and make the most out of it. You can also use your sleep tracker to consult a doctor or a sleep specialist if you have any concerns or questions about your sleep health. We hope this article has helped you learn how to choose and use a sleep tracker. Sleep well and stay healthy!