Use a Sleep Tracker – Does it Really Help?

Sleeping problems? just Use a Sleep Tracker – Does it Really Help? They say.

Activity trackers are all the rage, and millions of wrists now sport devices that monitor everything from your heart rate and oxygen consumption to the number of steps you take each day.

Among their many functions, activity trackers can also shine a light on your biggest source of inactivity: sleep.

But do they actually work? Read on to learn what sleep tracking devices can tell you (and what they can’t.)

What Do Sleep Trackers Monitor?

A wide variety of sleep trackers have hit the market, with more being released all the time. Many are wearable trackers that you can strap to your wrist. Others clip on your pillow or sit on your bedside table.

Features of these devices vary, but some common capabilities include:

• Sleep duration: By tracking the time you’re inactive, the devices can record when you fall asleep at night and when you stir in the morning.
• Sleep quality: Trackers can detect interrupted sleep, letting you know when you’re tossing and turning or waking during the night.
• Sleep phases: Some tracking systems track the phases of your sleep and time your alarm to go off during a period when you’re sleeping less deeply. In theory, that makes it easier for you to rouse.
• Environmental factors: Some devices record environmental factors like the amount of light or temperature in your bedroom.
• Lifestyle factors: Some trackers prompt you to enter information about activities that can affect sleep, such as how much caffeine you’ve had, when you’ve eaten or whether your stress level is high.

Use your Apple Watch to track your sleep featuring.

With the Sleep app  on Apple Watch, you can create bedtime schedules to help you meet your sleep goals. Wear your watch to bed, and Apple Watch can track your sleep. When you wake up, open the Sleep app to learn how much sleep you got and see your sleep trends over the past 14 days.

If your Apple Watch is charged less than 30 percent before you go to bed, you’re prompted to charge it. In the morning, just glance at the greeting to see how much charge remains.

You can create multiple schedules—for example, one for weekdays and another for weekends. For each schedule, you can set up the following:

• A sleep goal (how many hours of sleep you want to get)
• What time you want to go to bed and wake up
• An alarm sound to wake you up
• When to turn on sleep mode, which limits distractions before you go to bed and protects your sleep after you’re in bed
• Sleep tracking, which uses your motion to detect sleep when Apple Watch is in sleep mode and worn to bed

Tip: To exit sleep mode, first turn the Digital Crown to unlock. Then swipe up to open Control Center and tap .

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Set up Sleep on Apple Watch

1. Open the Sleep app  on your Apple Watch.
2. Follow the onscreen instructions.

You can also open the Health app on iPhone, tap Browse, tap Sleep, then tap Get Started (under Set Up Sleep).

For more info go to: support.apple.com