Sleep tracking is a relatively new feature on the Apple Watch, including the newest Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Series 8. Previously only possible through a third-party app, you can now track your sleep directly from the built-in Sleep app. You can also do things like set a bedtime and wake-up reminder.
The Sleep app uses your motion to provide detailed sleep data, including not only when you fell asleep and for how long but also how much time you spent in REM, core, and deep sleep. You’ll also see periods of wakefulness throughout the night, which are common even if you don’t remember them. Over time, you can review your sleep trends and find ways to improve.
How to set up sleep tracking on Apple Watch
- Go to the Sleep app on your Apple Watch.
- Tap Bedtime and choose your preferred time to go to bed each night.
- To adjust the time, scroll the Digital Crown up or down.
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Tap the green checkmark to confirm.
- Tape Wakeup and choose your preferred time to wake up each morning using the same instructions as above.
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Tap the green checkmark to confirm. You can also opt to set an alarm.
How to view sleep data on your Apple Watch or iPhone
Apple Watch sleep data aims to help you learn more about your sleep habits. It estimates how much time you spend in bed and how much time you’re asleep by analyzing changes in your physical activity as well as movement throughout the night. Do note that if you’re sitting sedentary on the couch watching TV for an extended period, the Apple Watch might mistakenly think you’re asleep. But for the most part, it works well. Here's how to view your data:
- Go to the Sleep app.
- Swipe up to see Analysis of the previous night’s sleep. This also notes the time you went to bed and the time you woke up.
- Swipe up further to see the time you spent in each of the Sleep Stages. This is displayed as a color-coded graph along with a legend at the bottom that shows Awake, REM, Core, and Deep.
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Swipe up again to see your Sleep Trends over the last 14 days.
- Note that you can set up a sleep schedule and view your stats from within the Health app on iPhone, too. Open the app, tap Sleep, and review.
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Select Show More Sleep Data to see the full details of Sleep Stages.
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Tap Comparisons to see your typical heart rate, respiratory rate, and wrist temperature while you’re asleep as well. A graph shows how this fluctuated throughout different times of the night. You can view these trends by the day, week, month, or six-month period by selecting the respective option from the top menu.
How to interpret your sleep data
Whether you're looking on the Apple Watch or you iPhone, you can see your data. But what do all these numbers actually mean?
First up, you need to know there are four main stages of sleep:
- Awake: This tracks the time you're awake for short periods throughout the night, which can be anywhere from just a few seconds to a few minutes. It’s perfectly normal and most people don’t even realize they were awake since they fall back asleep shortly after.
- REM: During this stage, signified by rapid eye movement (REM), your learning and memory are working overtime. Your muscles are relaxed, and your eyes are moving quickly from side to side beneath your eyelids. It’s during this period that you will enjoy dreams.
- Core: Also known as light sleep, core sleep is when you are asleep, but your brain is still working hard to process information. You haven’t yet fallen into a deep sleep. Core sleep is important and will often represent the majority of your night.
- Deep: It's important to get enough deep sleep since it's critical for repairing body tissues and releasing hormones. This is also referred to as slow-wave sleep and will typically occur during the first part of your sleep, after which you slowly go through the other stages. When it's difficult to wake up, it’s likely because you're in a period of deep sleep.
The amount of sleep each person requires differs from person to person, so it's best to consult with your doctor or other medical professional for insight if you have concerns. What’s also important is that you keep a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, have a healthy mix of all four of these sleep stages, and that you feel rested and refreshed in the morning.
You'll also see an "In Bed" number that refers to the time you're actually lying down in bed but doesn't necessarily indicate how much you slept. To see this, you need to look at the Asleep period, which is a shorter duration of time — how much shorter will depend on how long it takes you to fall asleep.
Other tips for using the Sleep app
Creating a simple bedtime and wake-up schedule is a perfect way to get started. You can create multiple schedules in the Apple Watch, like one for weekdays and another for weekends. You can also set up a specific schedule for when you’re on vacation in the Health app. And you can change these schedules at any time using either the Apple Watch or the Health app on your iPhone.
Also, make sure your Apple Watch needs to have at least 30% battery before you tuck in for the night for sleep tracking to work.
Finally, there's the Sleep Focus feature to limit distractions, like incoming notifications, while you’re in bed to help ensure you get a good night’s sleep. In the Health app, select Customize Sleep Focus if you want to permit certain people or apps to reach you even when you have Sleep Focus on.
Sleep tracking is an important feature that you’ll find on all the best smartwatches, and it’s really easy to set up and review the data from an Apple Watch once you wake up every morning.
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- Brand
- Apple
- Heart Rate Monitor
- Yes
- Battery Life
- Up to 18 hours
- Operating System
- watchOS 10
- Onboard GPS
- Yes
- Offline Media Storage
- Aluminum, Stainless steel
The Apple Watch Series 8 is the 2022 smartwatch from Apple. It offers fresh features like crash detection, a temperature sensor, and more, in addition to existing ones, such as ECG and blood oxygen monitoring.
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Apple Watch Ultra
$749 $799 Save $50- Brand
- Apple
- Heart Rate Monitor
- Yes
- Battery Life
- 36 hours
- Operating System
- watchOS 9
- Onboard GPS
- Yes
The Apple Watch Ultra is the highest-end smartwatch Apple makes. It's not for everybody, but if you spend a lot of time outdoors, are a serious athlete, or just want the ultimate protection, this is the watch to pick.
