In today’s world, sleep tends to be overlooked. We find ourselves working hours to meet deadlines and fulfill social commitments often sacrificing our sleep time. But it’s important to realize that sleep is not a luxury, it’s an aspect of our overall health and wellbeing. By depriving ourselves of rest we compromise our health and expose ourselves to various negative consequences.
Despite its importance, many people struggle to achieve the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Various factors such, as stress, anxiety, irregular sleeping patterns and excessive use of devices can significantly disrupt our natural sleep rhythms. This is where “Sleep Trackers” come into play.
Sleep trackers are created to keep an eye on aspects of our sleep and offer valuable information about our sleeping patterns. These devices can monitor everything from how we sleep to the different stages we experience during sleep. By analyzing this data that is gathered, these trackers assist us in recognizing areas where we can enhance our sleep habits and make informed choices about how we approach towards a better sleep.
How do trackers track sleep?
Sleep trackers have completely transformed our understanding of sleep. Whether worn on the wrist or placed under the mattress, they continuously monitor physiological parameters to provide a detailed overview of our sleep patterns.
- Many sleep trackers rely on movement based tracking as their core principle. They use accelerometers which’re small sensors capable of detecting even the slightest movements. As we progress through stages of sleep, light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep, our bodies exhibit distinct movement patterns. Sleep trackers access these patterns to estimate the duration of each sleep stage and offer an assessment of sleep quality.
- Sleep trackers equipped with heart rate sensors take us deeper into understanding our sleeping patterns. Heart rate variability (HRV) which refers to the variation in time between heartbeats, is an indicator of sleep quality. During sleep, HRV increases indicating a state of relaxation and calmness.
- Respiratory rate is another factor that indicates the quality of one’s sleep. It measures the number of breaths taken per minute. Sleep trackers incorporate sensors that measure rate to gain insights into ones sleeping habits.
- In addition, some advanced sleep trackers also feature blood oxygen sensors that provide information about oxygen saturation levels during sleep.
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Top Picks for the Best Sleep Trackers in 2024
1. Ultrahuman Ring Air Sleep Tracker
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Description:
The Ultrahuman Ring Air Sleep Tracker is a device that offers a range of features. It serves as a companion, on your sleep journey providing insights into sleep stages such as REM sleep, Light sleep and the moments when you’re awake. These stages are crucial for metabolic processes in your body, including growth, repair, restoration and maintenance. By using the Ultrahuman Ring Air Sleep Tracker you can gain an understanding of your sleep patterns.
During the day the Movement Index feature of the Ultrahuman Ring Air helps keep you active by enhancing your metabolism and cardiovascular functioning. It provides information about your activity levels to help you stay in tune with your body needs.
Another important metric provided by Ultrahuman Ring Air Sleep Tracker is the Recovery Score. This score takes into account measurements like Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Heart Rate and Skin Temperature to interpret signals from your body. By monitoring these signals and understanding their implications you can better.
For those who enjoy their dose of caffeine the Stimulant Window Recommender feature is truly a game changer. It takes into consideration the rhythm of our bodies throughout the day. Suggests favorable times for consuming stimulants like coffee or tea strategically. This way you can enhance productivity by aligning consumption with energy levels.
2. Withings Sleep Tracking Pad
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Description:
Developed in collaboration, with sleep specialists and validated by research, the Withings Sleep Tracking Pad offers insights that are above any other sleep tracking device. It continuously monitors your heart rate during sleep providing an understanding of your health. Setting it up under your mattress is easy. It works well with all types of mattresses.
When you wake up you can immediately access results through the free Health Mate app via Wi Fi. The app generates a sleep diary to help you make decisions about your sleep based on medical expertise. You can also share this sleep diary with your doctor to improve collaboration in managing your wellbeing.
But the Withings Sleep Tracking Pad isn’t just for monitoring sleep—it also serves as a hub for home automation. You can use it to control lights, adjust the thermostat and for creating a connection between your sleeping environment and overall health. For added convenience the Withings Sleep Tracking Pad integrates with Alexa. Say, “Alexa, ask Withings “. Manage your sleep routine hands free using voice commands, through the Health Mate app.
3. Inspire 3 Fitbit Sleep Tracker
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Description:
The Inspire 3 Fitbit Sleep Tracker offers a range of features to help you manage your health. It includes the daily readiness score, active zone minutes, all day activity tracking and sleep monitoring. With over 20 exercise modes to choose from, you can easily track your workouts. You’ll also receive a stress management score each day, have access to mindfulness sessions and relaxing breathing exercises. Additionally, you can monitor your SpO2 levels an keep track of your resting heart rate.
The automatic sleep tracking feature of Inspire 3 Fitbit Sleep Tracker provides a Sleep Profile along with a Sleep Score every day. Wake up gently with the vibrating alarm that ensures you start your day feeling refreshed. Activate sleep mode for rest
You can personalize your experience with the color touchscreen and customizable clock faces on Inspire 3 Fitbit Sleep Tracker. Its lightweight design makes it comfortable to wear along with being water-resistant up to 50 meters, allowing you to wear it without worry.
4. Whoop Sleep Tracker
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Description:
WHOOP is eligible for FSA/HSA, which means you can use those funds to purchase it! It keeps a watch on your body’s data giving you insights into various aspects such as heart rate, respiratory rate, skin temperature, blood oxygen levels, daily activity levels and sleep patterns.
But WHOOP is more than a tracker; it acts as a knowledgeable coach. It provides you with guidance and a backed approach to help you understand and improve your overall health. By using the WHOOP Journal feature, you can easily record your activities like exercise routines, dietary choices, alcohol consumption habits, stress levels and caffeine intake. WHOOP then analyzes this information to determine which behaviors have the impact on your sleep quality and recovery.
With it’s on the go charging capability and lasting battery life span of several days per charge cycle, wearing WHOOP won’t disrupt your routine.
5. Xiaomi Mi Band 7 Sleep Tracker
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Description:
Xiaomi, a recognized brand in wearables takes a step forward with the introduction of the Mi Band 7 Sleep tracker. Featuring a 1.62″ amoled display with a resolution of 192×490 and a brightness of 500 nits, it sets a standard for clear and immersive visuals. This latest version offers a brighter display compared to the previous ones.
One major improvement over the Mi Band 6 is the inclusion of 120 fitness modes, an upgrade from the 30 modes. Moreover, the battery capacity has been increased to 180mAh ensuring lasting power to keep you going. With two hours of charging time, you can enjoy a battery life of up to 15 days. The magnetic Snap-on charger adds convenience for those with an on the go lifestyle.
Equipped with features like the Blood Oxygen Sensor and 24 hour Heart Rate Monitoring, the Mi Band 7 allows you to track a range of activities that contributes to valuable insights, into your overall wellbeing. Additionally this band accurately monitors your sleep patterns providing statistics on your smartphone regarding sleep, light sleep and REM* phase analysis that can help you better understand your sleep quality.
With many features such, as a stopwatch, alarm clock, timer, find my device as well as phone unlock, event reminder, do not disturb mode and sleep tracker, it is an ideal option for anyone. It can be conveniently charged using pins, offers the convenience of control via your phones camera and keeps track of your health metrics and even monitors your sleep patterns!
Wrapping Up
In today’s world, it’s often easy to overlook the significance of sleep. However, to make sure that we get enough quality sleep, good news is the technological advancements that have now made it simpler than ever to monitor our sleep patterns and identify areas where we can improve. In this blog post we have explored five of the top rated sleep trackers. Each one offers features and benefits that can assist you in achieving a perfect night sleep.
Regardless of which sleep tracker you decide to use, maintaining consistency in its usage will allow you to gain insights into your sleeping patterns allowing you to make informed decisions, about your sleep habits.
FAQ’s
Q1. Are sleep trackers worth it?
Answer: Sleep trackers is a good tool for people looking to enhance their sleep quality and overall wellbeing. They provide insights into sleep patterns and stages, enabling individuals to identify areas where they can make improvements and make decisions about their sleep habits. Some advanced features offered by sleep trackers like heart rate monitoring and blood oxygen tracking can further contribute to understanding ones overall health.
Q2. Do sleep trackers really wake you up at the best time?
Answer: Sleep trackers can assist in waking you up more refreshed by rousing you during your lightest phase of sleep. This gentle awakening aims to prevent grogginess and improve the quality of your rest.
Q3. What is the best sleep tracker?
Answer: Determining the best sleep tracker depends on your personal needs and preferences. However some of the popular and highly regarded options available in the market include the Fitbit Inspire 3, Withings Sleep Tracking Pad, and WHOOP.
Q4. Why is sleep tracking important?
Answer: Tracking our sleep is significant because it provides insights into our sleeping patterns enabling us to identify areas where we can make improvements, for better restful nights. Understanding your sleep patterns can empower you to make choices regarding your sleep habits and lifestyle leading to enhanced overall health and wellbeing.
