There are many different types of sleep tech, from expensive smart beds to trackers and apps. But they don’t all deal with the same problems. Do you want to know how sleep affects your athletic performance or your health? You want to hide the sound of your partner snoring? You should consider how the gadget you choose will help you reach your sleep goals.
A device’s ability to fit into your life is important. If you have to wake up at night and remove your wrist-based tracker, it’s not worth the investment. You may be able to wear an earbud, a ring, or a watch to bed. If not, then you might want to consider a non-invasive option like the Google Nest Hub .
What we are looking for
- Performance A good gadget for sleep technology doesn’t do too many things at once. It should be able to address the primary issue that it is trying to resolve. Rest is gravy.
- Price: Sleep technology can be costly. You should be able to say, “Hell yeah, that was totally worth it!” if you are going to spend the money.
- Comfort You cannot sleep well if your bed is uncomfortable. Sleep tech should not disturb you. Is the tracker too big to be of any use? Is a smart mattress cover lumpy?
- ContextData without context is useless. How well does the sleep tracker present your data? You’ll learn something valuable or will it be a mess of graphs and numbers that make no sense?
- Battery life: A sleep gadget that cannot last the entire night is not very helpful. The device should last the whole night.
A good battery life makes sleep tracking much more convenient. A device that can’t last the entire night is not ideal. Smartwatches are not always the best for tracking sleep. If you insist on using a watch, you will have to adjust your charging schedule. Fast charging makes this easier, but if you’re primarily interested in sleep tracking, it might be worth considering one of the other devices listed here.
Take sleep tracking accuracy as a grain with salt . In just a few years, sleep tech has advanced a lot. However, these devices are not medical devices. The FDA has approved gadgets such as the withings ScanWatch for monitoring sleep disturbances. However, this does not mean that they can diagnose sleep apnea. Trackers, no matter how sophisticated the sensors or how many features they have, are designed to detect when something is wrong. Nothing more.
These recommendations are based on the effectiveness of sleep gadgets in addressing the issues they’re trying to solve. We considered the device’s accuracy, battery life and comfort.
The Best Sleep Technology of 2023
Oura is a sleep and recovery tracker that offers features such as quantified meditation sessions and the ability to measure heart rate during the day. To take advantage of the full features, new users will need to subscribe for $5.99 per month.
The Oura Ring, which costs $299, is not a fitness tracker. It also tracks sleep. The Oura Ring is a sleep monitor that also tracks fitness metrics. The ring contains seven temperature sensors as well as a green LED for measuring heart rate and red and infrared leds to measure oxygen levels. This does not include the battery or accelerometers.
All of these sensors give you a holistic view of your recovery. You receive a daily report that includes your sleep quality and activity goals. These reports will tell you how much your sleep affects your ability to handle stress and if you should be taking it easy or challenging yourself. This app includes features to aid in falling asleep, such as guided meditations or white noise. Oura recently added a new body clock and chronotype feature to help you optimize your sleeping schedule depending on whether you are a natural night owl or early riser. The Natural Cycles app can also be used instead of a basal thermometer if you’re using it for digital birthcontrol or fertility planning.
The Oura Ring is the most intuitive sleep gadget I have tested. It provides the most context to its data. The Oura Ring’s blood oxygen monitoring system is superior to random spot checks on devices such as the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch 5.. The Oura Ring passively measures your blood oxygen saturation levels (SpO2) during sleep. It also encourages you check your baseline for a prolonged period of time. This is not a very exciting measure, but for most people it’s more useful. Oura has a recovery mode, making it one of the rare devices that offers this feature. You can pause your goals if you are sick or injured until you feel better.
The main attraction is the shape: A ring feels much more comfortable than a wristwatch. It’s not fashionable but it is nondescript and can be worn to any occasion. You can get up to one week of battery life on a single charger. In my tests, I only got about four or five days. The battery life will be affected if you enable SpO2 Monitoring.
It’s only $6 a month now. If you are truly committed to monitoring your sleep, and can commit for a long time, the cost is well worth it.
Google’s smartwatch is the first of its kind. It has a domed display with a native Fitbit integration to track health. Fitbit Premium for six months and YouTube Music for three months are included.
Google Pixel Watch $349.99 might seem an odd choice given that it is a first generation smartwatch. While there are some growing-pains with the Pixel Watch, it gives you access to Fitbit’s sleep tracking platform.
Fitbit may be struggling in these days but they were early adopters of sleep tracking, and it shows. You can see how you compare to people your age and gender, as well as your sleep. It is similar to the Oura Ring in that it does not use SpO2 spot tests, but instead uses the Estimated oxygen Variation metric. You can also get a Daily Ready Score based upon your sleep and long-term activities. Google has also added Fitbit’s sleep profile feature to the Pixel Watch since its launch. The following month, after 14 days of data collected on sleep, you will be assigned an adorable sleep animal that reflects your sleeping habits. The goal is to better understand circadian rhythms, and how they impact sleep. Apple and Samsung still have a lot to catch up on in terms of accuracy and battery life.
The Pixel Watch has a GPS built in that is superior to the Oura Ring for tracking your exercise. Oura’s exercise tracking has been improved, but it is still very basic. The Pixel Watch makes life easier because it can be used to set silent alarms and make contactless payments. It also receives notifications. It supports Google Assistant.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is an excellent option for Android users who are wary of Google or don’t like Fitbit. Samsung’s sleep tracking features aren’t as advanced, but they’ve improved in the last year. Fitbit also has a feature that tracks sleep. The Galaxy Watch 5 identified me as a cautious penguin, but I am a deer spiritually.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is available in two sizes, 40mm and44mm. The Galaxy Watch 5 has a slightly longer battery than the Galaxy Watch 4, and it offers new capabilities such as measuring skin temperature and analyzing body composition.
Apple Watch Series 8 isn’t a radical departure from Series 7. However, it offers Crash Detection as well as a number iterative improvements which will make it a popular model.
The Apple Watch for iOS users is the best Smartwatch in general, but its sleep tracking features are still lacking. Apple Watches are a good option if you want to get the basics. You can also set up sleep schedules which sync with Focus modes on your phone. If you are set on getting an Apple Watch and want to track your sleep , then you should download a third-party app.
The recovery tracker is a distraction-free tool that helps you monitor sleep quality and cardiovascular strain. The hardware is free, but the monthly fee is $30.
Whoop is the only sleep tech gadget that goes above and beyond for athletes in terms of recovery. It tracks your body’s ability to handle cardiovascular strain. But its approach to sleep is unique. It focuses on sleep debt instead of sleep quality and how much sleep you need to fuel your training.
Whoop is the best app for you if you want to track how different factors affect your sleep. You can record how everything from the COVID-19 vaccination to magnesium supplements impacts your sleep. This feature is not necessary, but if you are interested in sleep journaling, it can be a nice bonus.
You won’t get any smart features or notifications, unlike most wearables. It also has a good battery life. The Whoop 4.0 comes with a removable battery pack which slides on to the tracker. You can wear the tracker for several days before having to remove it. You can wear the device in a variety of ways with Whoop. You can wear it in many ways, such as on your biceps, leggings or sports bra. Whoop 4.0 is a sleep tracker that focuses on athletic performance.
This is a niche item that’s best for athletes who are involved in intense cardio sports. It’s not very good at tracking strain resulting from strength training. The device is free, but the monthly subscription of $30 is expensive. Whoop has recently reduced its prices on annual and 24-month memberships. However, if you are a casual sportsperson, it is better to spend your money elsewhere. The Whoop 4.0 is a great option for who are people who always train for an event, or tend to overtrain.
