For excellent well-being and excellent health, sleep is necessary, everyone knows this. However, how can you check whether you are sleeping long enough and well enough? Smartwatches like Amazfit do a great job of this, but what about the Apple Watch?
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With the release of iOS 14 and watchOS 7, Apple has finally introduced its own sleep tracking tool. Using your Apple Watch, it can track how long you sleep each night. This makes it easier for the watch owner to change their bedtime habits for the better with the help of bedtime reminders and the relaxation process.
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How to enable sleep tracking on Apple Watch
Starting with iOS 14, the Sleep section appeared in the Health app on the iPhone, and the app of the same name appeared on the Apple Watch. The first time you launch the Health app after installing the update, you will be prompted to enable sleep tracking.
You can later enable this feature in the Health app on iPhone (View tab → Sleep section) or in the Sleep app on Apple Watch.
For quality sleep tracking, you need to configure 4 main parameters of the Sleep function, including: Sleep Schedule, Sleep Mode, Rest Period, and Sleep Tracking on Apple Watch. Let's look at each of them in more detail.
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Is it reliable as an alarm clock?
Let's be lazy, for most of us the alarm clock is our main enemy at the beginning of the day. There really is no clear answer or alarm clock to the question asked. Everything will depend on the person, but even on how deep sleep is achieved at the time the alarm is sounded.
Apple Watch wakes us up in sleep mode with gentle vibrations that increase in intensity to actually wake us up. Regular alarm clocks also have vibration and sound options, although with slight differences. In my particular case, I have to admit that most of the time I woke up without problems, if not 99%. The 1% in which I fell asleep despite the alarm going off actually had less to do with the Clock alarm per se and more to do with the level of fatigue I had that day.
However, we always recommend installing a second alarm for these types of emergencies. After all, no one likes to be late to their seats.
Sleep schedule
Here, you can set your expected sleep schedule by specifying the amount of time you want to spend each night, as well as your sleep and wake-up goals.
The first step in setting up a schedule is to set a sleep goal, which lets the Health app on iPhone and Sleep on Apple Watch recommend a bedtime and set an alarm. The app also lets you know if you've achieved your sleep goals for the night.
To create a schedule, you need to specify the time you want to go to bed and the time you want to wake up. Depending on the sleep goal you set in the previous step, the Health app will tell you whether the set interval provides adequate and healthy sleep.
You can use the same sleep schedule for each day or choose a different schedule for different days of the week. For example, set one schedule for weekdays, and use another for weekends.
Setting a sleep schedule allows you to turn alarms on or off, as well as customize sound and haptic feedback. If you use Apple Watch on your wrist to track your sleep, the alarm will go off on your watch instead of on your iPhone. You can set your sleep schedule settings in the Health app or, more conveniently, in the Clock app in the Alarms section.
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Change and delete alarms
Editing alarms or deleting them completely is as easy as creating them. Also in this case, you can tell Siri to remove all alarms, but if you want to do it manually, you just need to follow this guide:
- Open the Watch Alarms app.
- Find the alarm you want to change.
- Click "Change Time" if that's what you want, and if you want to remove it, click "Delete" at the bottom.
Sleeping mode
Sleep mode is an additional mode that is used in conjunction with the Sleep Schedule tool. When this mode is turned on, Do Not Disturb mode is automatically activated at the time you select for sleep.
Sleep mode can be set to turn on and off automatically according to your sleep schedule, but it can also be turned on or off manually in Control Center (you can add a Sleep button to Control Center by following these instructions).
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Sleep++
Sleep++, due to its simplicity, is also considered one of the most popular applications with this functionality. On the other hand, excessive simplicity is also its disadvantage. The entire Sleep++ interface is a button to start monitoring, stop and a small chart displaying sleep quality. When connected to a smartphone, the data collected by the watch is synced with the Apple Health app.
The application is free, you can download it here.
Rest period
This function accompanies Sleep Schedule and Sleep Mode, being optional and additional.
The rest period is the period of time spent preparing for sleep (preceding sleep). For example, 45 minutes, during which the user is expected to fall asleep.
The activated Rest Period function allows you to switch to Sleep Mode before going to bed, so that nothing distracts the person and prevents him from relaxing.
Like Sleep Mode, Rest Period includes Do Not Disturb mode.
Additionally, Bedtime works with Shortcuts to automatically launch apps or features you might want to use before bed. For example, if you read before bed, Rest Period may suggest launching a reading application, if you are making plans for tomorrow, Notes or Calendar will be launched, and if you just like to fall asleep to music, your favorite playlist will be turned on.
You can set the necessary commands when setting up the Rest period function.
When Rest Period is activated at a set point before your set bedtime, iPhone will display a screen showing the current time, a note about when it's time to go to bed, and a link to the commands you've set up so you can do things you want before bed.
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Settings
The procedure for setting the required wake-up time takes exactly ten seconds and consists of three steps:
- Call the main menu, find the “Alarm Clock” application (no need to link to iPhone);
- Then click “add” and indicate the appropriate time (to select hours and minutes, you need to click on the required square with information, and then scroll the Digital Crown to get the exact “hit”);
- To save, click “Select” and exit the menu. By the way, when you return to the “Alarm Clock” with ready-made settings, additional options for editing will appear - repetition frequency, design, music played and even days for “playing alerts”.
The procedure described above is the same for all Apple Watch series and will definitely not be a problem for either beginners or professionals. But what to do in situations when you want to wake up not to the boring sounds of a chosen melody and at a predetermined hour, but at the right moment for awakening, when you have to tear yourself away from the pillow not in a bad mood, but with a feeling of pleasure?
Sleep tracking on Apple Watch
Sleep tracking studies how long you sleep each night and wakes you up with a haptic alert on your Apple Watch if necessary. Again, you can set up sleep tracking on both your iPhone in the Health app and on your Apple Watch through the Sleep app.
When you turn on sleep tracking, your Apple Watch screen turns off and locks itself according to your sleep schedule, so it won't wake you up at night.
You can view sleep data from Apple Watch in the Health app on iPhone. If your sleep schedule is set to bedtime and wakeup time, all you need to do is make sure the watch is charged and ready to be on your wrist all night. Sleep tracking occurs automatically at night while Apple Watch has battery power.
The Sleep app on Apple Watch also lets you view a summary of your Sleep Schedule, notifies you about your Rest Period and Bedtime settings, and displays some of the sleep tracking data found in the Health app.
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Sleep watch from Bodymatter
Sleep Watch is another third-party app that can track sleep using your Apple Watch. The company says it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to measure, track and improve sleep quality.
I like the default dark blue theme the app uses. It is easy to view and read at night. Sometimes it feels like the app is trying to convey too much information to the user, which can be overwhelming for some.
Other features include daily briefings, last night's sleep, auto sleep, heart rate tracking, sleep disturbance tracking and more.
Price: Free (in-app purchase starts at $3.99).
Awakening
When you wake up in the morning, your set alarm goes off on either your iPhone or Apple Watch. But the iPhone also displays a “Good Morning” message indicating the time and weather forecast.
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Listen to an audio recording of your sleep - Pillow
One of the key features of Pillow is its support for recording important audio events throughout the night. This means the app can monitor audio data, including snoring and sleep talking, just by activating the feature before you go to bed. Now no one will be able to accuse you of snoring if you have such evidence.
Tracking sounds in your sleep is a real thing
The app also includes support for viewing detailed sleep trends over time, personalized recommendations, and more. The app is free to download, but has in-app purchases that unlock premium features, including recording audio while you sleep.
Summary of setting up sleep tracking
If you used the setup process in the Health app, iPhone will give you a summary of all the options used at the end.
If you wish, you can make the necessary changes in the “Sleep” section of the “Health” application.
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NapBot - sleep and sleep tracker
NapBot uses machine learning to detect and analyze your sleep. Based on the collected data, it provides a detailed analysis of sleep stages, calculating deep and light stages.
The app also analyzes environmental sounds and generates a report on how they affect your overall sleep quality.
However, the free version is limited. To use NapBot to its full potential, you need to purchase its Pro version. It includes useful things like detailed sleep history and trends.
Price: Free (in-app purchase starts at $3.99).
Third-party sleep tracking apps on Apple Watch
Sleep data can also be provided by third-party sleep tracking apps on iPhone and Apple Watch. The most popular sleep trackers for Apple Watch:
Sleep Cycle - Sleep Tracker
Sleep tracker Pillow
AutoSleep: Sleep Tracker
Sleepiest Sleep Sounds & Music
Sleep++
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It's inconvenient to sleep with the watch on; you also have to remember to charge it
I've had experience with sleep tracking before, so sleeping with a watch is nothing new to me. The main thing is to wear a soft strap and not tighten it too much. Leather and metal ones are definitely not suitable.
But sleeping with the watch on is still unpleasant. I tried several times to get used to it, but it never worked.
Before you go to bed, Apple Watch can remind you that it needs to be charged. This feature is disabled in the Watch app.
When I wasn't tracking my sleep, I would leave the watch on charge overnight, but that habit had to change. Sleep monitoring is not a very energy-consuming function; on average, Apple Watch is discharged by 20% per night. However, if this is added to the 30–50% discharge during the day, then the next day there is practically no reserve of autonomy left.
Therefore, it is advisable to charge the watch before going to bed, for example, while you are in the shower, and in the morning before work.
When it's time to sleep, Apple Watch automatically changes to a simple numeric watch face and lowers the screen brightness to its minimum. In this mode, no functions are available. You can't even turn on the flashlight.
View your sleep data
Sleep data collected by Apple Watch can be viewed in the Sleep section of the Health app on iPhone. The Health app displays data by week or month, allowing you to see your sleep changes over time.
Apple Watch collects data on sleep duration, time spent in bed and heart rate, but does not provide additional data. Some of the other fitness tracker apps listed above provide more detailed information about sleep stages, but Apple Watch's sleep tracking feature doesn't.
The Sleep section of the Health app provides graphs of sleep duration, sleep heart rate, and key metrics for the week, month, and year. It also shows your average sleep time over the past week and includes a graph of sleep stability over time.
Along with this data, Apple offers informational articles that iPhone users can use to improve their sleep: "Why Sleep Is Important" and "How to Get a Good Night's Sleep" with sleep tips and information.
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Pillow
A pillow app with a very stylish interface and an interesting presentation of all the tracked information about your sleep. The application will not only provide information about the phases, but will also be able to set an alarm clock on its own, determining the time when you will feel best. For those who do not trust technology, there is a manual mode. There is also a database of sounds for falling asleep synchronized with your iCloud and useful tips for improving sleep.
It doesn’t have any particular disadvantages or drawbacks, but sometimes it’s difficult to turn off the alarm in the application itself. Plus, although the application is free, there are some paid functions, which, otherwise, you can do without.
You can download Pillow from this link.
