Monitor sleep: the best apps & wristbands

What ways are there to monitor your own sleep? Here you will find the best apps & wristbands – and find out which functions are useful.

For many, life without a cell phone is no longer imaginable and it is often still on the bedside table even during bedtime.

  • Many apps and fitness bracelets now take advantage of this and offer sleep monitoring.
  • The aim of sleep monitoring is to provide you with new information about your sleep behavior and thus improve your sleep in the long term.

The following text explains the advantages of sleep monitoring, which functions are important and what the best sleep apps and wristbands for sleep monitoring are.

It starts with a general overview and information about which things you should measure at all.

What are the options for sleep monitoring?

To monitor your sleep you can use both

  • Smartphones with corresponding apps
  • as well as special wristbands & sleep trackers

Many apps are free and can be tried out immediately – a big advantage compared to wristbands, which can sometimes cost more than € 100.

However, special devices offer a few other advantages that often ensure a more accurate measurement.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the individual variants?

Both the sleep monitoring apps and the wristbands work via a built-in motion sensor (the more you move, the more restless you sleep).

  • To do this, the cell phone is placed under or next to the pillow while the bracelet is worn on the body.
  • Because the bracelet is worn directly on the body, it naturally notices the movements (e.g. in the case of difficulty sleeping through the night ).

Therefore, the data is usually more precise and is not only influenced, for example, by the bed partner (unfortunately the mobile phone receives almost every movement of the mattress).

However, there are also a few other differences:

Your sleep bracelet you wear with you at all – and have the evening (or at nap ) does not remind you to put it on the bed.

  • This gives you comprehensive data that is more meaningful. In my experience, this is not the case with cell phone apps.
  • Who really thinks about positioning their own smartphone on the mattress every night (especially after a long night)?

If you are really serious about your sleep, then a special sleep tracker is definitely worth it.

You should also consider banning the cell phone from the bedroom altogether . It does not allow many people to rest and can lead to sleep disorders.

But the individual apps & wristbands for sleep monitoring also differ greatly in their functions and use.

Before I go into the best variants , I would like to give you a brief overview of how it works. So that you know what sleep monitoring is all about before making a selection.

The most important functions of the apps & wristbands for sleep monitoring

Most apps & sleep bracelets promise

  1. Record your sleep time
  2. Recording of your sleep phases
  3. Recording of noises
  4. A pleasant awakening

However, you should be careful with the measured data:

Monitoring the duration of sleep

The sleep monitoring apps and wristbands record the length of your sleep night after night, as well as when you went to bed and when you got up.

  1. On average, we sleep around 8 hours a day, although the individual sleep requirements naturally vary greatly.
  2. The sleep monitoring app can therefore not directly indicate that you are not sleeping enough.
  3. However, you can observe your sleep over a certain period of time and thus determine your (natural) sleep requirement.

For a restful night, however, it is not just the length of time that is important, but also the quality of our sleep. (This is why sleeping too long can be unhealthy , for example )

The special devices for sleep monitoring help, which then also immediately check whether you are not only sleeping enough, but also deeply.

And it works like this:

Recording of sleep phases

Sleep is divided into four phases.

  • The sleep phase
  • Light sleep phase
  • Deep sleep
  • REM Phase

These phases are repeated several times while sleeping and depending on the phase you move differently.

Tip: Read more about sleep phases here – and how they affect the quality of our sleep.

Recovery during the night depends on the phases

In the deep sleep phase, for example, the relaxation of the body is maximal, the muscles relax and recover.

vements in this phase & the sleeping position remains the same.

In the light sleep phase, on the other hand, we move very strongly, our organism does not recover as much as in the deep sleep phase.

If you are struggling with restless sleep without periods of deep sleep, you may feel tired all the time , despite sufficient duration .

Sleep bracelets measure movement more precisely

By repeating the sleep phases and the resulting movements, the apps and wristbands can determine the sleep phases.

From this it can be deduced whether the deep sleep phase is too short or you do not get into the deep sleep phase as often – and you get an even more comprehensive form of sleep monitoring.

Many sleep aids record sounds

Some apps also offer sound recording.

  • You can then use your mobile phone to view the ambient noise throughout the night.
  • This is how you can tell whether you are snoring , talking in your sleep or being disturbed by other noises.

If you frequently wake up your partner with nocturnal noises, then such a function is highly recommended.

Note: There are also special snoring apps to measure the noise level. You can find the best of these in the linked article.

Pleasant awakening

There are periods of sleep when it is better not to be woken up, e.g. B. in the deep sleep phase.

It takes you much longer to get fit when you are awakened in the deep sleep phase than in the light sleep phase.

Because the apps and wristbands record the phases of sleep, they are also suitable as an alarm clock – for example, so that you wake up in a phase that is comfortable for the biorhythm.

Easier to get up thanks to the built-in sleep phase alarm clock

You simply set a time in the app or on the bracelet at which you would like to be woken up at the latest.

  • You also specify how much you would like to be woken up before your wake-up time.
  • The sleep monitoring of the app or the wristband wakes you up within this time corridor, as it best suits the sleep phases.

As a result, you may lose some sleep time (in the worst case), but you are fitter after getting up.

You will be woken up very gently and not woken up by an alarm clock.

The best sleep monitoring apps

Some of the best apps are listed and described here. In the next section, I will also discuss recommended wristbands for sleep monitoring .

Runtastic Sleep Better

The well-known app for recording your sporting activities also offers an app for sleep monitoring.The special thing about this app is the dream diary function with which you can write down your dreams.

You can also enter other factors such as stress as well as coffee or alcohol consumption before bed into the app (as well as your sporting activities, of course).

This allows detailed conclusions to be drawn about your sleep behavior. Other functions are:

  • Sleep phase alarm clock
  • Analysis of the phases of sleep
  • Calculation of the efficiency of sleep
  • Dream diary
  • Analysis of sleep behavior during the phases of the moon
  • Sleep statistics

The advantage of this app lies in the multitude of factors that can influence your sleep. If you regularly update your habits in the app, conclusions can be drawn about what influences your sleep positively and negatively.

Free for

iOS | Android

Sleep as android

The app is perhaps the most comprehensive sleep app on the market:

  • Over ten million downloads confirm the success. First and foremost, Sleep as android can be described as a sleep aid app.
  • After installation, you can play different music or sounds to make it easier for you to fall asleep.

During the sleep phases , it is recorded how much you move and which sleep noises arise. All this data is available to you after you get up.

Since Sleep as android can differentiate between deep sleep phases and more light sleep, you can avoid the app waking you up during a deep sleep phase. This should enable a better and rested wake up.

The app can be combined with many other devices such as a smartwatch or lamps.

When you snore, you can use sounds like clicking your tongue to help stop snoring.

The intelligent alarm clock and sleep aid is very popular with many users.

Download: Sleep as android

Sleep Bot

The Sleep Bot app is a very comprehensive and popular app for monitoring sleep.

 

The app’s intuitive operation and clear design make it convincing the first time it is opened.

The app can also convince with the functions.

  • Gentle awakening
  • Several wake-up times (for the partner)
  • Recording of sleep noises and subsequent playback
  • Motion recording
  • Comparison of movement and sounds
  • Diverse diagrams
  • Personal sleep statistics
  • Adjustability of sensitivity

With these functions, the app is very extensive, especially the comparison of the movements with the noises can be very informative.

Available for

 

The Snore Lab application offers very extensive functions and, with over 1 million downloads, is a very popular snoring app (but also offers other statistics such as duration & noise.

  • In addition to snoring, the app also measures its volume and intensity.
  • The app summarizes the determined data in statistics that you can export to the computer.
  • This makes it easier to analyze your snoring behavior better, even if you are visiting a doctor.

To reduce your snoring, the app offers different solutions, such as the use of snoring splints or special pillows.

You can then use the app to determine whether the tools are efficient. In addition, you can enter data yourself that might affect your snoring (alcohol consumption, exercise before bed, etc.).

Unlike other apps, Snore Lab does not interfere with your sleep.

 

The best wristbands for sleep monitoring

If you want to go a step further and comprehensively monitor your sleep, then you should reach for a special bracelet.

Admittedly, this is not quite as cheap as a free app, but the measurement is much more accurate.

  • Since we spend a good third of our sleep, such an investment is definitely worth it – because the better you know about your sleeping habits, the better quality of life it brings.
  • Regardless of whether it is a lack of sleep , constant daytime sleepiness or just having trouble getting up – a sleep monitoring bracelet can help in any of these cases.

You can find a few recommended variants in the following section:

Das Fitbit Charge

The Fitbit Charge 2 is one of the best fitness wristbands on the market and offers a sophisticated sleep monitoring system.

The sleep phases are not only determined by the activity, but also by the heart rate.

An app provides you with comprehensive graphics and statistics. The gentle wake-up, which is adapted to the sleep phases, takes place in the Fitbit Charge 2 silently via the vibration alarm.

Other functions are:

  • Multisport Tracking via GPS
  • Notifications about calls, SMS etc.
  • Classification of your fitness level
  • Guided breathing exercises

More information & the current price can be found here:

 

Another all-rounder among fitness wristbands is the Polar A360, which is also very suitable as a wristband for sleep monitoring.
The bracelet automatically records your sleep phases without you having to activate a sleep mode.

The Polar bracelet is characterized by very precise measurements and divides your sleep into restful sleep and non-restful sleep.

You can also rate your sleep yourself. After synchronization, your data will be displayed in the Flow web service or in the Flow app from Polar.

Further functions of the Polar A360 are:

  • Fitness tracker
  • Calorie consumption via permanent pulse measurement
  • Inactivity alarm
  • Exercise programs

Here is more information about the different variants and colors of the bracelet:

 

 

Are there any other sleep bracelets?

You can’t go wrong with the 2 bracelets above.

  • Both models not only convince in terms of processing quality, but are also supported by matching smartphone apps.
  • With many other bracelets – mostly cheap copies from China – this is not always the case. So be especially careful here.

In my experience, these variants often break after a few months.

It is even more annoying when the (unknown Chinese) manufacturer suddenly stops support and you can no longer connect the device, which is actually still working, to the mobile phone.

For this reason, I advise you to spend a little more in order to enjoy sleep monitoring for a long time.

If you don’t shy away from the risk and want to strike a bargain, you will find a list of available sleep bracelets here .

Conclusion on the two variants

Sleep monitoring can be very useful – because you get a lot of information about your sleep behavior.

  • Knowing about your own habits is the first step in significantly improving your sleep.
  • The systems are now also very sophisticated and sleep monitoring works very well with the apps and wristbands.

Free sleep apps are a good way to get started – but if you’re really serious, a special bracelet is far better.

More tips for better sleep

I hope this overview has helped you and that you know more about how analyzing your sleep can increase your well-being.

 

If you’re interested in improving your sleeping habits, then do a little browsing and start getting a good night’s sleep today.

  • You may want to learn more about what to consider when choosing a cozy pillow .
  • Or maybe you just want to find out how to sleep better and give yourself a few hours of rest
  • However, many Germans may suffer from various sleep disorders that depress their well-being.
  • Last but not least, it also makes sense to know about current sleep research findings & apply them in practice.

Just jump to the point that seems most interesting and start creating a better quality of life today.

I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.

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