Tracking your sleep refers to monitoring your sleep patterns and quality over time. It typically involves using a device or app to collect data on various aspects of your sleep. By tracking your sleep patterns, you can identify potential issues like insomnia, sleep apnea, or restless leg syndrome.
The data can help you understand how much sleep you actually need and what factors contribute to good or bad sleep quality. Tracking can motivate you to make changes to your routine that promote better sleep, like establishing a regular sleep schedule, creating a relaxing bedtime routine, or improving your sleep environment.
Here’s how to track your sleep with your Apple Watch:
Enable Sleep Tracking:
- Open the Health app on your iPhone that’s paired with your Apple Watch.
- Tap Browse in the bottom right corner.
- Scroll down and select Sleep.
- If it’s your first time setting up Sleep, you’ll see an option to Get Started. Follow the on-screen prompts to set your sleep goals and preferred wind down time before bed (optional).
- Alternatively, you can enable sleep tracking on your Apple Watch itself. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, then Sleep. Toggle on Track Sleep with Apple Watch.
Optimize for Accuracy:
- Enable Charging Reminders: This ensures your watch has enough battery to track your sleep throughout the night. You can turn this on in the Watch app under Sleep.
- Wear your watch snugly but comfortable while sleeping.
View Your Sleep Data:
- Once you’ve slept with your watch on, open the Health app on your iPhone.
- Tap Sleep. You’ll see a summary of your sleep for the previous night.
- You can view details like total sleep duration, time spent in each sleep stage (REM, Core, Deep), and when you woke up.
- Tap on Show More Sleep Data for a more detailed breakdown.
- You can also view sleep trends over the past week, month, or even the last six months by tapping the weekly, monthly, or yearly tabs.
Here are some additional tips:
- Maintain a consistent sleep schedule: This will help your watch gather more accurate data about your sleep patterns.
- Avoid using your watch before bed: The bright screen might interfere with your sleep.
- Consider the limitations: While Apple Watch sleep tracking is convenient, it might not be as precise as dedicated sleep trackers.