What is the Best Gadget to use for Sleep Tracking?
There are many good options for watches that can track your sleep. Some of the best ones include the Fitbit Sense, the Apple Watch, and the Oura Ring. These devices can track not only the amount of time you spend asleep, but also the quality of your sleep by monitoring factors such as your heart rate, restlessness, and sleep stages. Some of these devices also have features like sleep schedules and bedtime reminders to help you get a consistent amount of rest. Ultimately, the best sleep tracking watch for you will depend on your personal preferences and budget.
The Fitbit Sense
The Fitbit Sense uses a variety of sensors to track your sleep, including an accelerometer, a heart rate monitor, and an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor.
The accelerometer is a motion sensor that tracks your movement and can detect when you are lying still, which is an indication that you are sleeping. The heart rate monitor tracks your heart rate throughout the night and can help determine the quality of your sleep based on how your heart rate changes during different sleep stages.
The EDA sensor is able to detect changes in your sweat levels, which can be an indication of stress or arousal. By combining data from all of these sensors, the Fitbit Sense is able to provide a detailed breakdown of your sleep, including how long you slept, how many times you woke up, and how long it took you to fall asleep. It can also provide a Sleep Score, which is a measure of the overall quality of your sleep.
Purchasing a second watch just for sleep seems a little extra to me, but this would be an option while I am charging my Apple watch at night. Speaking of the Apple watch…
Apple Watch
Like the Fitbit Sense, the Apple Watch uses a variety of sensors to track your sleep, including an accelerometer, a heart rate monitor, and a gyroscope. These sensors work together to track your movement, heart rate, and other factors that can indicate the quality of your sleep.
To track your sleep with an Apple Watch, you will need to use the Sleep app. This app will automatically track your sleep as long as you wear your watch to bed and have it charged. You can also set a sleep schedule and bedtime reminders in the app to help you get a consistent amount of rest.
The Sleep app on the Apple Watch provides a detailed breakdown of your sleep, including how long you slept, how many times you woke up, and how long it took you to fall asleep. It also provides a Sleep Score, which is a measure of the overall quality of your sleep. This score is based on factors such as the amount of time you spent in bed, your heart rate, and your movement.
This seems like the cheapest option at the moment, since I already own an Apple Watch. The drawback starts with charging. It just means that I will need to change my watch twice a day. Not hard, just a new habit.
Oura Ring
The Oura Ring is a wearable device that tracks your sleep, among other things. It uses a combination of sensors to track your sleep, including a infrared LED, a temperature sensor, and an accelerometer.
The infrared LED and temperature sensor work together to track your body temperature, which can be an indication of your sleep stage. The accelerometer tracks your movement, which can help determine when you are asleep and when you are awake.
To track your sleep with the Oura Ring, you simply need to wear it on your finger while you sleep. The Oura Ring will automatically detect when you are asleep and begin tracking your sleep. It provides a detailed breakdown of your sleep, including the amount of time you spent in each sleep stage and how long it took you to fall asleep. It also provides a Sleep Score, which is a measure of the overall quality of your sleep.
This for me is the easiest option of the 3. It would mean I wouldn’t have to change the Apple Watch twice a day. It would also mean that like with the Fitbit, I would have two apps to track.
Conclusion
Since I already have an Apple Watch, I am going to start there. What have you used that has worked for you? Put it in the comments below.
