Best Sleep Trackers (Updated 2019) - SmartwatchAuthority

Getting a good night’s sleep is key to being productive in the day. But when things get a little bit busier than usual, skimping sleep cannot be avoided, and you’d end up not resting properly.

To make up for a restless night, you sleep in the next day only to wake up feeling groggy. “Why? I’ve already slept.” you might think however, our bodies aren’t designed to function with just a few hours of sleep nor immediately compensate lost sleep by spending a few more hours on bed.

Fortunately, smartwatches and fitness trackers have been more focused on assisting people to get them in good shape and one feature that’s been improving over time is its sleep tracking abilities.

Knowing more about your sleep data enables you to change habits and adjust your schedules to improve your sleep hygiene.

In no particular order, below are the best sleep trackers you can use to get back on track and improve your sleep:

WITHINGS STEEL HR (formerly Nokia Steel HR)

If you still fancy the classic look of watches over screens, then look no further as Withings Steel HR provides the regular look of watches but it is just as smart as any smartwatch too.

This sleek hybrid smartwatch features activity tracking, heart-rate monitoring and sleep tracking.

You can see your notifications in the OLED monochrome display and one touch of the button on the watch enables you to swiftly look at each stat like your step count, heart-rate as well your daily activity goal.

When it comes to sleep-tracking, Nokia Steel HR provides your data through its app upon syncing. The watch auto-detects if your sleeping and also when you wake up making it perfect for a bed companion that you don’t need to mind about. Its design without additional bulky features makes you comfortable wearing it in bed. Once data is collected, the app shows your deep and light sleep through graphs and also your sleep efficiency.

The smartwatch features a smart wake-up alarm system that helps you slowly wake-up according to your optimal waking time through faint vibrations. This helps you avoid that groggy feeling when your alarm clock suddenly disrupts your sleep.

Additional features include a reliable battery that lasts to 25 days compared to common smartwatches that needs to be charged every now and then, and the watch is waterproof up to 50 meters.

Comfort: 4
Tracking accuracy: 5
Phone application experience: 5
Company rating: 4
Tech Rating: 4

Overall SWA Rating: 4.4

POLAR M430

If you’re serious with getting fit and considering to buy a smartwatch, you may have come across Polar M430. Though this smartwatch is pretty much devoted to keeping track of your performance, its sleep-tracking feature is sure to keep up.

The M430 makes sure you get accurate data with its advanced sleeping metrics that allows you to see timing, the amount and quality of sleep you’re getting every night. Additionally, it can give you feedback regarding your slumber the night before.

It will also you give you insights if you are sleeping properly and helps you determine your sleep routine. All of this is possible because of Polar Sleep Plus, Polar’s dedicated sleep algorithm.

Comfort: 4
Tracking accuracy: 5
Phone application experience: 5
Company rating: 4
Tech Rating: 5

Overall SWA Rating: 4.6

FITBIT VERSA

Tagging it as a ‘smartwatch for all’, it’s no brainer that Fitbit Versa is a very well-rounded smartwatch not just for its fitness tracking but in tracking sleep too!

Losing track for bedtime is a common problem for many but not with this smartwatch. It offers bedtime reminders to let you know that you need to get some ZZZs soon. It’s slim design on your wrist is comfortable that it won’t be a bother while you are sleeping.

Upon tracking your sleep with Versa, it also gives out information regarding your sleep stages which lets you know how much you have really slept during the night.

Having a sleeping schedule is encouraged to set your body clock and Fitbit Versa helps you with that. It creates a customized schedule based on your target wake time and sleep goals. This makes it easier to stick to a sleep plan if you don’t know where to begin with.

Features worth-mentioning includes it being waterproof up to 50 meters and up to 4 days of battery life. It delivers calls and sms notifications plus Fitbit proprietary features like Fitbit Pay.

Comfort: 5
Tracking accuracy:  5
Phone application experience: 5
Company rating: 4
Tech Rating: 5

Overall SWA Rating: 4.8

MISFIT SHINE 2

Misfit Shine 2 is a simple wearable but packed with features despite its minimal appearance. Made of aluminum casing, this tracker is surely durable to be worn anywhere. Interacting with the Shine 2 only requires a few taps and you can swiftly sync it with your phone. Wearing it can either be two ways; as band on your wrist or it comes with a clip you can clasp to your belt.

The 12 LEDs around not only tells time but you can set it to see your notifications as well. No display means you can’t add apps however you’ll get the Shine 2 at an affordable price than regular smartwatches. Setting up requires you to enter your basic info such as age, gender and weight for it to track your activities precisely.

As for its sleep-tracking feature, the Shine 2 offers basic sleep tracking such as sleep duration and quality.

Although it can detect when you are sleeping, you can edit the time of your sleep duration to increase accuracy of it tracking your sleep.  

Comfort: 5
Tracking accuracy: 3
Phone application experience: 4
Company rating: 4
Tech Rating: 3

Overall SWA Rating: 3.8

GARMIN VIVOSMART 4

If you’re into fitness bands rather than smartwatches, you’d want to consider Garmin Vivosmart 4. One of the biggest names in the fitness tracking niche, Garmin has been a household name for fitness enthusiasts. Improving functionalities of its trackers over time, the Vivosmart 4 offers great sleep tracking metrics to help identify if you’re getting quality sleep.

Once synced, you can see your sleep details such as your sleep stages and movements while sleeping. Garmin have also incorporated a  pulse oximeter sensor into the Vivosmart 4 which helps trace if you have breathing problems as well as your blood oxygen levels in every stage of your sleep.

Notable features include a longer battery life and  water-resistant up to 50 meters. It is equipped with heart rate monitor, barometric altimeter, accelerometer and ambient light sensor. The only downside of this wonderful tracker is it is not equipped with GPS.

Comfort: 5
Tracking accuracy: 5
Phone application experience: 5
Company rating: 4
Tech Rating: 4

MOOV NOW

Looking for an uncomplicated tracker instead? Moov Now might be the one you’re searching for. With no screens to get you distracted, Moov Now’s a pretty much straight forward tracker that you don’t need to spend a lot to get one. All sensors are mounted on one removable pod and comes with two straps variations, one for your ankle and another for your wrist. Moov Now boasts its very own real time coaching to motivate you reach your fitness goals.

Feel free to go to bed without the need to setup  Moov Now as it automatically tracks your sleep. With comfort in mind, sleeping while wearing this tracker is barely noticeable. For a precise tracking, you can manually edit your sleeping time as well.

Comfort: 5
Tracking accuracy: 5
Phone application experience: 5
Company rating: 4
Tech Rating: 4

Overall SWA Rating: 4.6

Eyeing something already from the list? Take a moment first and look at these points you may want to consider before buying any trackers:

Usability

Ask yourself if you’d like a smartwatch or a fitness tracker? They may have similar functions however fitness trackers tend to focus more on monitoring. If you’d like to be able to answer calls or emails and would want a larger screen, go for a smartwatch. Opt for a fitness tracker instead if you feel there’s no need to use additional smartwatch features.

Design

As you’re going to wear the tracker all night, it’s important to think about it’s comfortability. We may have uncontrolled movements while we are asleep and we may accidentally hit ourselves, worse, someone beside us. If you’re someone who moves around a lot, it’s best to get a smartwatch or a tracker that’s less bulky.

Material

  Being comfortable  is a priority especially with sleeping. You’d be wearing the device all night so it’s important to look at what the bands or straps are made of. If you have allergies with silicones, better check if the tracker has interchangeable bands so you’ll be able to swap straps.

Sleep enables your body to rejuvenate and heal itself and focusing on getting enough sleep is critical to achieve that healthy lifestyle. Without it or getting less of it, we can’t be fully efficient nor be productive during our day-to-day activities.