Nowadays, sleep tracking using the best smartwatches has become quite popular. The reason behind it is sleep tracking can provide you with valuable data which will help you optimise your routine. Smartwatches can measure your sleep and offer valuable insights into your biggest inactivity – sleep.
However, have you ever thought about how the best smartwatches measure your sleep? Do they really work? Is it safe to wear it while sleeping? This article will explain everything you need to know about sleep tracking using the smartwatch.
Let us discuss all these below.
Before diving deep into how sleep monitoring sensors work in a smartwatch, let us first understand the importance of sleep.
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Why Is Sleep Vital?
Many people skimp on sleep daily. In reality, approximately two-thirds of adults less than seven to eight hours during the night. As they start their day with strong coffee, they don’t realise how sleep-deprived they are. Caffeine in coffee blocks sleepiness signals that artificially make you feel more attentive.
However, if you do not take proper seven to eight hours of sound sleep, it can cause a risk of heart disease, depression, diabetes, stroke, and various other health problems. It can disturb your immune system and interfere with hunger signals, making you feel hungrier. Ultimately it can lead to weight gain.
As per the study, it is recommended to take at least seven to nine hours of sound sleep. It can improve your mood, appearance, health, and decision-making ability.
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Different Stages Of a Human’s Sleep Cycle
A typical human sleep cycle follows the pattern shown in the picture above – from stage 1 to REM every 90 to 110 minutes. As sleep progresses, the REM cycles get longer.
Stage – 1 – Light Sleep
This stage lasts for only a few minutes, and we will be easily awakened during this stage.
Stage – 2 – Fairly Light Sleep
In this stage, our body prepares for deep sleep by slowing eye movements, brain waves, and heart rate. Even our body temperature drops.
Stage 3 And Stage 4 – Deep Sleep
During this stage, our breathing and heart rates are at their lowest. Our brain waves slow down, and our muscles become more relaxed. In this stage, it is difficult to wake from. If we wake up from a deep sleep, we will feel disoriented.
Stage 5 – REM
In the rapid eye movement stage, our brain becomes more active. The final stage of the sleep cycle is when dreams occur, the brain becomes more active, and breathing becomes faster.
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What Do Sleep Monitoring Sensors Of Smartwatches Measure?
Nowadays, various smartwatches are available in the market that can measure sleep. However, there are a few common capabilities that each smartwatch can measure.
Sleep Duration
By keeping a record of your inactive stage during the night, the smartwatch can track the time when you slept at night and woke up in the morning.
Sleep Quality
The sleep monitoring sensors in the smartwatch can tell you how often your sleep is interrupted.
Sleep Phases
The smartwatch can even measure your sleep cycle incorporating non-REM and REM phases.
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Sleep Environment
Some smartwatches can even track environmental factors such as light amount and temperature in your bedroom. In short, it measures how comforting your sleeping environment is.
Lifestyle
Some smartwatches allow you to enter data regarding activities you have done during the day, what you have eaten, etc. It will help them measure activities that can affect their sleep.
How Do The Sleep Monitoring Sensors Of a Smartwatch Work?
The real science behind sleep monitoring sensors is actigraphy. It is movement detection or heart rate detection. Actigraphy or wrist movement tracking lets smartwatches detect movement while individuals sleep.
So, based on it, they can measure sleep patterns. The actigraphy makes use of the accelerometer or gyroscope in order to track your movement and detect the stage of your sleep cycle.
There are a few smartwatches that even uses heart rate sensors to track heart rate reading.
Generally, our heart rate lowers when we sleep and varies according to our sleep stage. Therefore, this data change can help you track and monitor your sleep cycle closely.
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Is It Harmless To Wear a Smartwatch All The Time?
Yes, it is completely safe to wear a watch all the time. However, it is advisable to take it off for a few hours. So your skin can breathe and bacteria will not collect on your skin. Wearing a smartwatch while sleeping or not is a personal choice for everyone. Some people find it too uncomfortable while wearing it while sleeping, and some don’t find it uncomfortable.
The light and constant notifications of the smartwatch can even disturb your sleep cycle. However, if you want accurate sleep tracking, you need to wear it while sleeping. Smartwatches emit electromagnetic fields which are of low frequency and do not have enough energy. So, the radiations are minimal and do not cause harm if you wear a smartwatch while sleeping.
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A Few Tips To Have Quality Sleep
Here are a few common tips that you need to follow to have a night of quality sleep.
- You should stick to your daily sleep routine and sleeping hours. If you don’t, then it can disturb your routine.
- Avoid caffeine intake, heavy meals before bed, and usage of a smartphone or laptop before going to sleep.
- Don’t consume alcohol in the evenings and cigarettes before bed.
- Ensure you have a comfortable place to sleep. Keep the bedroom dark and use a comfortable mattress and pillow.
- Regularly do yoga to relax and wind down.
Best Smartwatch Under Rs. 5000 You Can Buy For Better Sleep
Here is a list of the few best smartwatch under 5000 that can help you measure your sleep quality.
- boAt Xtend
- Realme Smart Watch S
- Noise ColorFit Ultra 2
- Fire Boltt Ring
- Fire Boltt Ninja Call 2 Smartwatch
- Realme Watch 3 Pro
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Winding Up
In a nutshell, we can conclude that smartwatches are an ideal accessory for you as it comes with various health sensors. You can set goals with your smartwatch and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Technology and health are coming together these days, and it is good to make the best possible use of both. Smartwatches are essential, but we should buy the best smartwatches that come at an affordable price.
In the end, your views matter to us. What do you expect to find out from sleep monitoring sensors? Which smartwatch have you tried before to measure your sleep quality, and did you find it accurate and got useful information? Share your views with us in the comment section below. Besides, if you have any questions, feel free to ask us in the comment box below.
Also read: Smartwatch Features to Consider While Buying It
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