Feeling groggy in the morning? Wondering if you’re getting enough shut-eye? Your Apple Watch might have the answers you’re looking for. With the built-in Sleep app, you can easily track your sleep patterns right from your wrist. It’s a great way to get insights into how much rest you’re actually getting and the quality of your sleep. Here’s why you might want to give it a try.
5 Reasons to Use the Built-in Sleep App
Effortless Tracking: Just wear your watch to bed, and it’ll do the rest. No need to fiddle with buttons or apps before dozing off.
Detailed Sleep Stages: The app can estimate how much time you spend in Awake, REM, Core, and Deep sleep, giving you a clearer picture of your sleep quality. Each sleep stage plays a different role in restoring our brains and bodies, making them essential to waking up refreshed.
Sleep Goals and Schedules: Set up sleep goals and create schedules to help you maintain a consistent sleep routine.
Wake-up Alarms: Use gentle, customizable alarms to wake up at the optimal time in your sleep cycle.
Sleep Focus Mode: Limit distractions before bedtime and during sleep to help you wind down and rest better.
Enable Built-in Sleep Tracking on Apple Watch
To use the built-in Sleep app on your Apple Watch, ensure your device is running watchOS 7 or later and paired with an iPhone 6s or later running iOS 14 or higher. Also, be sure to update your software by opening the Watch app on your iPhone, navigating to General > Software Update, and installing any available updates. Now, here’s how to set up sleep tracking:
Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
Click My Watch in the bottom left of the screen.
Scroll down and tap Sleep.
Tap Use this Watch for Sleep to enable the feature.
Ensure the switches next to Track Sleep with Apple Watch and Charging Reminders are turned on.
Set Up Your Sleep Schedule
Creating a sleep schedule helps you meet your sleep goals. You can set your sleep schedule from the Health app. Follow these steps to set it up:
On your iPhone, open the Health app.
Tap the Browse icon at the bottom.
Scroll down and select Sleep.
In the Your Schedule section, tap Add to set the schedule for tonight.
Adjust Bedtime and Wake up, then tap Add in the upper right.
To set up additional options:
Tap Full Schedule & Options.
Set a permanent schedule based on different days of the week by clicking Set Your First Schedule.
A calendar or list of days will appear. Tap the days you want to include in this schedule.
Adjust the Bedtime and Wake up for each day of the week.
Tap Add in the upper right.
You can also change the Wind Down time and indicate the number of hours you’d like to sleep as your goal where it says Sleep Goal.
How to Set Up Focus Filters
You can also set up Focus filters to determine how your device behaves when you’re asleep.
On your iPhone, go to Settings.
Scroll down and click Focus.
Tap Sleep.
In the Allow Notifications section, tap People.
Click Add People with a plus sign above it.
Select the contacts you want to allow to reach you or send notifications while you’re asleep by tapping the bubble next to their name, then tap Done.
Under PHONE CALLS, select who you want to Allow Calls From by selecting Allowed People Only.
How to View Your Sleep Data
In the morning, you can check your sleep data on both your Apple Watch and iPhone.
On Your iPhone:
Open the Health app.
Tap Browse.
Click Sleep.
View a bar graph showing your sleep start and end times.
Tap a specific day, week, month, or 6 months to see detailed sleep data for that period.
Tap Show More Sleep Data to see specific data on Awake, REM, Core, and Deep sleep stages.
On Your Apple Watch:
Open the Sleep app to see the total number of hours slept.
View a graph of different sleep stages (REM, Core, Deep).
See a record of your sleep over the past 14 days.
To use Siri: On Apple Watch Series 9, using watchOS 10.2 or later, say, “How much did I sleep last night?” Your Apple Watch will provide you with information about your sleep duration from the previous night.
Third-Party Sleep-Tracking Apps
While the built-in Apple Watch Sleep app is effective, you might want more detailed insights. Several third-party apps offer advanced features. Click here to check out our article on how to sleep better tonight with these top-rated apps.
Choose the Perfect Apple Watch for Your Sleep-Tracking Needs
If you’re looking to improve your sleep quality or just want to monitor your nightly rest, there’s an Apple Watch model that’s just right for you. Whether you’re a fitness buff, someone who values your health, or just curious about how well you’re sleeping, each Apple Watch below offers unique features to help you track and optimize your sleep patterns.
Apple Watch Ultra 2
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 meets the demands of the most athletic people with its workout settings. It has the biggest and brightest display of any other Apple Watch model and allows you to call and text without having your phone on you. At the time of publishing, this product had over 300 global reviews with 85% giving it 5 stars.
Apple Watch Series 9
The Apple Watch Series 9 comes with advanced health features, powerful fitness tracking qualities, and great safety features like crash detection and fall detection. It also offers a wide variety of customizable settings. At the time of publishing, this product had over 300 global reviews with 81% giving it 5 stars.
Apple Watch SE
If you want to save some money and still enjoy the benefits of an Apple Watch, consider the Apple Watch SE. It has a sleek design that resembles the Series 9 and offers many of the same features, such as fall detection, heart rate monitoring, and GPS tracking, though it lacks some of the advanced features like the always-on display, ECG, and blood oxygen monitoring.
Kurt’s Key Takeaways
Tracking your sleep with an Apple Watch can provide valuable insights into your sleep patterns and help you improve your overall sleep quality. Whether you use the built-in Sleep app or a third-party app, the data collected can guide you toward better sleep habits. While these features can help improve your sleep habits, they’re not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have serious sleep concerns, it’s always best to consult a healthcare provider.
