Why Your Fitbit Sleep Score Has Gotten Worse
If you’ve noticed that your Fitbit sleep score has dropped dramatically, don’t panic, and definitely don’t assume that you have insomnia. Fitbit appears to have quietly made improvements to its sleep-tracking technology. And while your scores may appear worse at first glance, you’re actually getting a much more accurate picture of your sleep.
How Your Fitbit Tracks Your Sleep
Fitbit’s sleep score is calculated based on your heart rate, how long you’ve been awake or restless, and your sleep stages . The tracker estimates your sleep stages using a combination of movement and heart rate data. For example, if you haven’t moved for about an hour, Fitbit assumes you’re sleeping.
According to Fitbit’s blog , the recent update, which the company only responded to after user complaints, is “the first step in a series of upcoming improvements” to the tracking technology. The ultimate goal is to measure sleep more accurately. It turns out that increased accuracy often leads to lower user scores.
Why Your Sleep Score Has Dropped Since Fitbit Update
Here’s what’s going on. If your sleep score drops from, say, 85 to 78 after an update, that doesn’t mean your sleep quality has gotten dramatically worse. Instead, you’re seeing a more honest assessment that takes into account:
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Brief night awakenings that were previously ignored
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More superficial periods of sleep that may previously have been mistakenly classified as deep sleep
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Natural sleep fragmentation that occurs in all healthy sleepers
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More accurate movement detection that can differentiate restless sleep from true wakefulness
Most people experience brief awakenings throughout the night—this is completely normal and part of healthy sleep architecture. Our brains naturally cycle through different stages of sleep, and brief moments of conscious awareness between these cycles are the norm, not the exception.
The old system essentially created a rosier picture by ignoring these normal sleep disruptions. While it may have been psychologically satisfying to see a “good” sleep result, the data you received about your actual sleep patterns was less useful and had no practical application.
Bottom line
Your Fitbit isn’t trying to make you feel bad about your sleep. A lower sleep score doesn’t mean you’re sleeping worse — it means you’re finally seeing the full picture.
Don’t compare new results from an update directly to old results. Instead, use the results from the update as a new baseline and track changes from there. Another helpful tip is to look at trends rather than readings from a single night. One night of lower results isn’t cause for concern, but consistent changes over several weeks may indicate the need to take action.
And remember: Sleep quality isn’t just about the numbers on your wearable. More important indicators of good sleep include how you feel when you wake up, your energy levels during the day, and your overall well-being.
Fitbit plans to continue improving its tracking technology and may reveal more about future changes at its upcoming Made by Google event on August 20.