What I Learned From Tracking My Sleep With Apple Watch

After six years of using the same Apple Watch, I was recently asked to upgrade to a newer model – partly because the newer versions simply have more features, partly because I’m interested in learning about my bodily processes, and also because I’m an impulse buyer , convinced that every new purchase would bring me closer to the precipice of pure well-being. In the week that I’ve been eating my new fancy trinket, I haven’t become the picture of perfect health, but I have gained some insight into my activity level and, importantly, my sleep habits. I’m a firm believer in over-preparing for luxurious sleep sessions , so I wanted to see if the data I got from my body overnight backed up my claim that better sleep is possible by investing in things like fancy sleep sprays. pillows and silky sheets .

What Apple Watch Measures Overnight

The Apple Watch you get today comes preloaded with the Sleep app, which estimates the amount of time you spend in REM, core, and deep sleep, assuming you’re wearing your device when you climb into the sheets. It’s important to know that in order for this to work, you need to define a sleep schedule in the app in advance; it won’t necessarily magically detect that you’ve gone to bed. I set the time to 1:00 to 8:30 after some internal debate about whether I wanted to lie (which would be useless) or be honest about what kind of person I am and when I actually go to bed. To get data from your watch, you also need to give it at least four hours of sleep per night. You can set separate schedules for weekdays, weekends, or any other days when you have special requirements or schedules.

When you wake up each day, the watch will detect that you are awake and stop monitoring your sleep. You can then see a small chart that estimates how long you were in each sleep stage. Sleep phases are defined as follows:

• REM is the phase when you dream the most

• Deep sleep is a restorative phase that is beneficial for your brain and body.

• Core sleep is what Apple calls lighter sleep that doesn’t fall into one of these categories.

You get a chart showing how long you were in all three groups last night, and can see trends over the previous two weeks. My average sleep time since purchasing the watch is six hours and 26 minutes. It’s sad, but there is room for improvement.

Apple Watches worth paying attention to:

• Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) – GPS, 40mm ($199)

• Apple Watch Series 9 – GPS 41mm ($330 with $29 coupon)

• Apple Watch Ultra 2 – GPS + Cellular, 49mm ($729 with $50 coupon)

What you can learn from Apple Watch sleep data

My watch says I slept six hours and eight minutes last night, with REM sleep accounting for 21 hours of that, deep sleep only 45 minutes, and core sleep coming four hours and two minutes later. This is consistent with how the whole week has gone: I’m mostly sleeping, dabbling in some REM and deep sleep. The watch certainly doesn’t measure my brain’s electrical activity or any super-scientific elements that could provide medical-grade insight, but it does track breathing and movement.

The most important information you’ll really get from wearing this thing before bed is how long you actually sleep. For me, gamification is one of the few ways I can tolerate the boring parts of adulthood, so I force myself to stop emailing, scrolling, reading, or who knows what else instead of going to bed in an effort. maximizing your total sleep time data is fun. The amount of sleep you get is important , whereas the phases are more like additional information (unless you really have sleep issues that you’re trying to hone in on and need to work on with a professional).

What to Consider Before Tracking Sleep with Apple Watch

I woke up this morning to find out that my Apple Watch died at some point during the night. However, my sleep data states that I woke up at 8:32, although I don’t know how he got that information if he was dead when I did it. Regardless of whether he died at 8:31 or some other time, I view today’s new data with some skepticism.

To prevent this from happening to you, be careful with charging. Charge the watch while you shower or relax before bed, when you don’t need to track your activity or respond to emails at all, and thus the watch is practically useless. You can also use the Sleep app on your watch to set up charging reminders, so if your preset shutdown and sleep schedule coincides with a time when your device’s battery charge is less than 30%, it will remind you to plug it into the charger . .

Useful tools for getting sleep tracking working on Apple Watch

There are several ways to maximize the effectiveness of sleep tracking and the charging required. Consider these items:

• Try a portable charger for your Apple Watch so you can charge it in the car, while showering after the gym, or anywhere and anytime you can charge your device overnight. This device from Newdery ($7.59) is a simple USB charger, so you can use it in the car or plug it into any computer or wall adapter. Or you can use one that you pre-charge at home and take with you on the go, like this one from Huoto ($15.99), which has a convenient keychain.

• The watch needs a snug fit to capture your data at night, so if you wear it looser during the day and only care about seeing notifications on it, consider adjustable straps that can be tightened before bed. Here’s a pack of 10 in assorted colors for $14.19.

• Grab a nifty three-in-one charger ($19.93) to keep next to your bed for your phone, Airpods, and (if needed) Apple Watch. God forbid you get a notification that the charge is below 30% before you put it down, you can just put the watch on the stand with the rest of your devices.

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