The Power of Sleep Trackers: A Comprehensive Guide
One of the thing we may do nowadays with the help of innovative technologies, is to track our sleep patterns and make informed decisions about how to get better quality sleep.
Developing bad sleep habits can result in various health issues, including fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and even increased risk for chronic diseases. By tracking sleep patterns, we can better understand our body's needs and take steps to improve the sleep hygiene.
What is a Sleep Tracker?
A sleep tracker is a special device that could monitor our sleep patterns and provides data on the quality and duration of the sleep. There are different types of sleep trackers, including wearable devices like smartwatches and dedicated sleep tracking watches.
Most sleep trackers work by using sensors to track the movements and heart rate while person's sleep. Some sleep tracking devices also include features like snore detection or ambient sound monitoring.
Smartwatches with sleep tracking capabilities can also track other health metrics like steps taken, calories burned, and heart rate throughout the day, making them a useful all-in-one health monitoring tool.
Why Use a Sleep Tracker?
Using a sleep tracker can provide numerous benefits for better sleep and overall health. By monitoring our sleep patterns, we can gain insights into the quality and duration of our sleep and make adjustments to improve it. Here are some of the top reasons to use a reliable sleep tracker:
Improved Sleep Quality: By tracking our sleep patterns, we can identify factors that may be compromising our sleep quality, such as snoring, sleep apnea, or stress. This information can help us make adjustments to sleep environment, habits, or lifestyle to improve sleep quality.
Increased Awareness: Sleep trackers provide detailed information about our sleep patterns, including how long we are in each stage of sleep, how often we wake up, and how much time we spend in deep sleep. This data can help us understand our sleep habits and make decisions about how to improve our sleep hygiene based on objective data.
Accountability: Using a sleep tracker can provide a sense of accountability for our sleep habits. By seeing our sleep data over time, we can assess whether we are consistently getting enough sleep and taking steps to improve our sleep habits when necessary.
How to Choose a Sleep Tracker
With so many options on the market, choosing the best sleep tracker for your needs can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you make the right decision:
Battery Life: Consider how often you want to charge your device. Some sleep trackers only last for a few days, while others can go up to a week without needing a recharge.
Data Tracking Capabilities: Consider what kind of data you want to track and analyze. Some sleep trackers provide detailed information on sleep stages, heart rate, and respiratory rate, while others are more basic. It depends on your own needs, possible problems that you want to solve, and how much money you are ready to invest.
User-Friendliness: You are supposed to open the sleep tracker's app at least once a day, so choose one with an easy-to-use interface and an intuitive app that you like. You want to be able to view and interpret your sleep data without any hassle.
Extra unique features: Some sleep trackers come with unique features, such as smart alarms (which wake you up during your lightest sleep stage) or heart rate monitoring. Aligning with your goals, think about whether you need them.
Best Sleep Trackers
There are plenty of options on the market, and you may choose one depending on your goals and preferences. We can recommend some trackers that are the most popular on the market, tried and tested by us and many people worldwide:
A popular sleep tracker that offers reliable sensors and accurate data for monitoring sleep patterns. Fitbit is a reputable company known for its scientific approach to fitness and sleep tracking. You may also consider Fitbit Luxe, which has almost the same capabilities but looks more fancy, especially liked by women.
Pros:
Advanced features: stress tracking, guided breathing exercises, heart rate monitoring, all-day activity tracking, respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels, skin temperature
Tracks your sleep duration and quality, distinguishing between light, deep, and REM sleep stages.
The device also provides a Sleep Score, which gives you an overall assessment of your sleep quality based on various factors.
Offers additional sleep-related features like sleep stages insights, bedtime reminders, and silent alarms.
It integrates with the Fitbit app, where you can view detailed sleep data, trends, and receive personalized recommendations for improving sleep.
Long battery life: 6 days
Built-in GPS for tracking exercise
Access to texts and calls, voice features, and music
Ability to customize your band style
User-friendly app
Cons:
Need to purchase a membership ($9.99) for access to a detailed sleep score.
Some users have reported that the screen on the Charge 5 needs to be more responsive, which may impact the user experience.
The device relies on a connected smartphone for certain functions and data analysis, which may be inconvenient for some users.
Learn more about Fitbit Charge 5 and order 👈
2. Oura Ring Gen3
The Oura Ring is a sleek and stylish sleep tracker that offers a range of features to monitor sleep patterns and overall health. Designed as a ring, it provides a discreet and comfortable alternative to wearable wrist devices.
Pros:
Comprehensive sleep tracking: The Oura Ring provides detailed insights into sleep stages, sleep quality, and duration.
It uses advanced sensors, including infrared LEDs and a 3D accelerometer, to accurately monitor your sleep patterns.
The ring tracks sleep stages, heart rate variability, body temperature, and movement during sleep.
It provides a comprehensive Sleep Score, considering sleep duration, efficiency, timing, and quality.
Offers detailed sleep insights, trends, and personalized recommendations for optimizing sleep and recovery.
Stylish and comfortable
Long battery life: 7 days
Standalone functionality: The Oura Ring does not rely on a connected smartphone for data analysis and functionality, offering a convenient user experience.
User-friendly app: The accompanying app provides easy-to-understand data visualizations and personalized recommendations for improving sleep.
Cons:
High price point: The Oura Ring is relatively expensive compared to other sleep trackers on the market. It's free for the first six months, but then you have to buy a subscription for $5.99/month. At $299 plus these monthly fees, the Oura is an investment.
Limited ring sizing options: The available ring sizes may not be suitable for everyone, potentially limiting its accessibility.
3. Garmin Vivosmart 5
A versatile fitness band that combines comprehensive sleep tracking with various other health and fitness features. The Vivosmart 5 is equipped with advanced sensors that accurately monitor your sleep patterns, including the duration of light, deep, and REM sleep stages. It also boasts a Pulse Oxygen sensor to gauge oxygen absorption rates in your body.
Pros:
Combines fitness tracking with sophisticated sleep monitoring capabilities.
Tracks sleep stages (light, deep, REM) using advanced motion sensors and provides insights into sleep duration and interruptions.
The device features a Pulse Oximeter sensor to estimate blood oxygen levels during sleep, which can provide additional insights into overall wellness.
Offers other fitness features such as heart rate monitoring, calorie tracking, and automatic exercise recognition.
Garmin Connect app: Easily view and analyze sleep data, including total sleep time, sleep cycles, and interruptions, through the intuitive Garmin Connect app available on iOS and Android.
Long battery life: 7 days
Multi-functionality: Besides sleep tracking, the device monitors calories burned, stair climbing, and heart rate, offering a comprehensive overview of your fitness activities.
Automatic exercise recognition: The Vivosmart 5 can automatically detect various types of exercises, including those performed on specific workout equipment, ensuring accurate tracking of calorie burn.
Cons:
Limited display: The device features a smaller screen, which may not offer the same level of visibility and ease of use as larger smartwatches or fitness trackers.
Reliance on smartphone app: To access and analyze sleep data, you'll need to rely on the Garmin Connect app, which may be inconvenient for users who prefer standalone device functionality.
How to Use a Sleep Tracker
Wear your sleep tracker consistently: To get accurate data, wear your sleep tracker every night and keep it charged.
Review your data regularly: Take a look at your sleep metrics on a regular basis to identify trends and patterns.
Identify your sleep goals: Whether it's getting more deep sleep or reducing the number of times you wake up during the night, set clear goals for what you want to achieve with your sleep tracker.
Sleep Tracker and Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene refers to the routines and habits that promote good quality sleep. By tracking sleep patterns with a sleep tracker, individuals can identify areas where sleep hygiene may be lacking and make adjustments for improved sleep quality.
One of the key benefits of using a sleep tracker is increased awareness of sleep hygiene habits. For example, if a person consistently wakes up feeling tired despite getting enough hours of sleep, a sleep tracker can help identify potential issues such as restless sleep or frequent waking. By analyzing the sleep data provided by a sleep tracker, individuals can make changes to their sleeping routines, such as adjusting bedtime or reducing screen time before sleep, for better quality rest.
Sleep tracker data can provide valuable insights into individual sleep patterns that can inform better sleep hygiene habits. For example, if a sleep tracker shows a person frequently waking up during the night, they may need to adjust their sleeping environment, such as reducing noise or light levels. Sleep tracker data can also help individuals track the effects of lifestyle changes, such as reducing caffeine intake or exercising, on their sleep quality.
By using a sleep tracker to monitor sleep hygiene, individuals can take a proactive approach to improving their sleep habits. By making small but impactful changes, such as creating a consistent sleep schedule or practicing relaxation techniques before bed, individuals can improve the quality and duration of their sleep for a happier, healthier life.