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Exercise Daily – When it comes to the best fitness tracker for sleep, most people confuse it with smartwatches as a general. However, it is true that some smartwatches have features for monitoring your sleep cycles, but they are not solely designed for that purpose.
So, buying a fitness tracker is a better option instead of a smartwatch.
On many days, you awake feeling refreshed. At other times, it’s as if you hardly sleep at all. Although the distinction between good and bad nights is not always apparent, a sleep tracker may offer useful insight.
It tracks the sleep habits to provide a more accurate view of the amount of quality sleep you’re having. This knowledge will be used to help you optimize your sleep experience.
Though sleep experiments conducted in laboratories typically track patterns directly from brain function, sleep trackers depend on sensors to monitor other physical indicators such as heart rate and body movement.
Wearable sensors track sleep during the night. Other trackers may be placed on the mattress, under the mattress, or next to the bed in order to capture data invisibly. Almost all sleep trackers send such data to a device that analyses and displays the information.
We’ll highlight the best sleep trackers and explain why they’re so great. We’ll then discuss what to remember when buying and answer frequently asked questions about fitness trackers for sleep.
5 Best Fitness Tracker for Sleep in 2022
#1. Fitbit Versa 2
The Fitbit Versa 2 is by far the most trustworthy sleep tracker we’ve used and is probably our personal preference.
It’s basically true in terms of dimensions that you can validate. For instance, it will determine whether you are reading or sleeping in bed, how often you wake up during the night, and what time you actually woke up in the morning.
Pulse Tracker
Additionally, when it refers to fitness monitoring, it seems to be accurate for the habits you participate in. The step count is satisfactory, as is your pulse at low to moderate intensity levels of activity, but it seems to decrease slightly during extremely vigorous exercise.
However, the precision of the simple sleep data, heart rate, and movement encourages you to believe that the sleep stage monitoring is a good approximation.
Alexa Voice Assistant
An important feature that came with the Fitbit Versa 2 is the built-in Alexa voice assistant. It’s fantastic to be able to dictate texts, conduct general searches, and configure alerts, clocks, and reminders with your speech. It’s a handy function that you can use much more often than you expected.
Sleep Reminders and Display Screen
Additionally, we appreciate the ability to set reminders to adhere to a sleep routine and to remain busy during the day. These are all factors that can potentially make you sleep better. Additionally, a new smart alarm feature is developed to wake you up at the light sleep stage, assisting you in feeling less drowsy as you begin your day.
The Versa 2 looks awesome due to its 1.4-inch OLED display, which is vivid and colorful even under direct sunlight. At last, it offers an impressive six-day battery life.
Pros
- Sleep monitoring is both automatic and fairly precise
- You can set a schedule for the amount of sleep you need
- The SpO2 sensor determines the nightly variability of oxygen levels in the bloodstream
Cons
- Occasionally, slow syncing happens, requiring patience
#2. Withings Sleep
The evolution of the Withings sleep tracker has been fascinating. Withings initially developed the Aura, after which Nokia acquired the technology and rebranded it as this newer product. However, they then sold it back to Withings, which explains the mystery surrounding the exact name.
Contactless Mat
The monitoring system, like the Beautyrest and Emfit, is a contactless mat that you put under your mattress. You’ll then collect your sleep data on your mobile (there is no desktop edition available at the moment).
They seem to be particularly concerned with optimizing your sleep schedule. Soon after you register, the Health Mate app asks if you want to enter a social jet lag program that would help you maintain a consistent sleep cycle seven days a week.
IFTTT Integration
It has an intriguing feature for IFTTT integration with smart home devices. Thus, you will automatically switch on and off lights and set the thermostat when you go to bed, for example.
Informative Graphs and Data
In terms of sleep monitoring, it aims to monitor sleep phases and presents you with informative graphs in the morning through the App.
However, as is the case with many devices, the more time you spend in bed reading, the more difficult it becomes for the Withings to determine if you are awake or asleep.
Pros
- Simple to configure the tracker and application
- Sleep tracking is both automatic and contactless
- The app’s interface is easy to use and navigate
- Presents sleep data in the form of visual graphs
Cons
- Does not always report bed exits if they are short in duration
#3. Beautyrest
The Beautyrest is the best fitness tracker for sleep that uses a measuring pad placed beneath your mattress rather than a wrist-worn gadget. You’ll then be connected to a small data processor and a smartphone app that will receive the sleep data.
Easy-to-Use
It’s fairly simple to set up, with instructional videos included in the app. After that, you can leave it on, and it will automatically start tracking your sleep when you approach your bed.
It was created for the average person who is concerned about their sleep. Additionally, to provide useful understandings of the sleep data, as well as advice on how to improve your sleep. As a result, you will not be left scratching your head about what the graphs represent.
Accurate Measurement
If we compare Beautyrest with Fitbit Versa 2, then it is consistently accurate for the measurements of sleep phases, such as when you fall asleep and wake up, as well as the precise time of night wakings.
Sleep Coaching
Apart from sleep stage info, the Beautyrest shines in one area – sleep coaching. Numerous sleep trackers provide standard sleep coaching advice, none at all or only after paying a fee. However, you will get beneficial feedback based on your performance for this one.
The more data you provide, the more effective the coaching will be. Thus, by responding to the regular lifestyle questionnaire, you’ll get useful information such as how much harder you sleep after a frustrating or lazy day.
Suitable for Couples and Individuals
Additionally, with the inclusion of a second measurement pad for a bed mate, it makes an ideal sleep tracker for both couples and individuals. This is what makes it the best fitness tracker for sleep.
Pros
- Measures four phases of sleep
- Monitors heart rate and breathing rate
- Provides an overall sleep score
- It asks questions about your lifestyle, such as your stress level and physical activity
Cons
- You must keep it connected to your home’s wifi network
#4. Emfit QS
The QS is the best fitness tracker for sleep and was designed specifically for use by athletes and was manufactured by the Finnish firm EMFIT. However, someone who is serious about their sleep and health can benefit from the additional information it provides.
Contactless Measuring Strip
Like the Beautyrest, the Emfit operates independently of the body. A measuring strip is placed beneath the side of the mattress (not the bed sheet) and uses ballistocardiography and a sensitive compression sensor to acquire readings.
It collects an enormous amount of data, including the regular sleep tracker estimates of heart rate, breathing rate, restlessness in bed, and time spent in light, deep, and REM sleep.
Suitable for Athletes
It provides athletes with valuable metrics such as whole-night heart rate variability, overall recovery time, and recovery efficiency.
However, It has difficulty distinguishing between relaxing in bed and sleeping. To be sure, this is a problem that many devices face, and it’s often a matter of settling for an estimation rather than precision.
Monitors Everything
It helps to monitor everything, from sleep phases to respiration and heart rate variability. However, without sleep coaching, you are left to sort through the data to graphs and interpret what they mean. And it is not a simple job.
However, if you’re a sports fan or curious about what happens in your sleep beyond what the standard tracker will show you, you might enjoy all that info.
Pros
- It measures all of the standard sleep stages
- Provides a massive volume of information
- The Emfit website presents the data concisely through a sequence of graphs
- No manual intervention is required
Cons
- No sleep coaching available
#5. Amazfit GTS 2 Mini
When you consider the price of Amazfit’s smartwatches, the sleep monitoring is very detailed – and the brand has lofty aspirations whenever it comes to sleep monitoring.
Sleep and Naps Tracking
It analyses sleep phases and tracks REM, and it uses the device’s SpO2 sensor to monitor blood oxygen levels at night and provides a sleep breathing efficiency score.
Additionally, it has a trick up its sleeve: unlike most other sleep trackers, it can track naps as well.
Sleep Tips
The Zepp app (Amazfit’s companion app) also offers a lot of sleep tips, displaying your statistics for time asleep and deep sleep in comparison with those of other users in an attempt to analyze the results.
Our main criticism of Amazfit’s sleep monitoring is that it consistently overestimates the amount of time spent sleeping – possibly caused by a lack of sensitivity.
For instance, if we spend eight hours in bed, Withings and Fitbit will typically monitor 6.5–7 hours of actual sleep, including tossing and shifting.
Amazfit usually reports more to the entire 8 hours, and as a result, sleep scores are significantly improved.
Better than SmartWatches
In short, there’s a lot to appreciate here, and the monitoring is superior to that of 90% of budget smartwatches and fitness trackers.
Pros
- Exceptional design and performance
- Excellent for monitoring sleep phases
- Accurate sleep monitoring
- The addition of Bluetooth calling is a plus
Cons
- Battery backup is pretty mediocre.
Best Fitness Tracker for Sleep – Buying Guide
If you’ve spent some time outside in the last few years, there’s a good possibility you’ve come across anyone with a fitness tracker.
Fitness trackers are common these days, smart wristbands that assist individuals in meeting fitness targets, eating healthier, and general wellness improvement.
Not only wearables but contactless sleep trackers are common these days as well because they are much more efficient than wearables.
So, in order to find the best one for yourself, we have devised a comprehensive buying guide to find the best fitness tracker for sleep:
Advanced Sleep Tracking
Advanced sleep trackers have more insights than just sleep time and stage analysis. Additionally, they can incorporate smart listening technology to detect snoring or breathing patterns. In most cases, contactless sleep monitoring devices often control the bedroom environment as well.
Detailed Analytics
Various sleep trackers incorporate advanced analytics to provide a complete view of your overall well being. You can monitor your bedtime and wake-up hours over the last few days, weeks, or months and see if they change your average sleep time.
Smart Alarms
Due to the fact that it is easier to wake up from light sleep than from deep sleep, many sleep trackers often have a “smart alarm” feature. You define a time period for waking up in the morning (say between 6 and 6:30 am).
The Bottom Line – Wearable Vs. Non-Wearable
It can be difficult for some people to choose the best fitness tracker for sleep between wearables and non-wearables.
However, the most noticeable distinction is whether you choose to wear your sleep tracker on your forearm or cover it under your mattress or on a night table.
If you are looking for wearables then consider reading this post: Best Fitness Tracker For Small Wrists Review in 2022
Both wearables and non-wearables are capable of making similar errors, such as confusing relaxation with sleep. Even the great ones we’ve found have a lot in common in terms of what they do right, such as overall sleep time and bed exits.
Wearables and non-wearable gadgets both monitor the sleep stages and heart rate during the night. However, you should bear in mind that the sleep cycles are not 100% correct.
