You’re probably tired, why else would you be researching sleep trackers? Don’t worry, we’ll do what we can to ensure this list is not sleep inducing while we get you the hardware, or just software, that can hopefully help you improve that thing we all do for 1/3 of our lives, sleep!
Speaking for my own experience, even if you do not suffer from poor sleep, I was able to gather some interesting metrics using a sleep tracker regarding my habits. I always thought I slept great, even if not long enough, but a few tweaks later, my sleep graph has improved, and so has my health.
It’s your turn, here is our list of the best sleep trackers.
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Different kinds of sleep trackers
There are more than a few ways we can tackle this task, sleep tracking is not limited to expensive medical gear or modern wearables. Lanterns, apps, fitness trackers and more are on deck, you may decide which of these sleep trackers is best for your needs.
Sleep tip: The ‘blue light’ from your mobile device display inhibits sleep inducing chemicals in your brain. I am not saying you shouldn’t use your tablet late into the night, but try turning everything off earlier some time, see if you fall asleep sooner.
Wearables
Fitbit Charge 2
Our sister site Android Authority has reviewed the Fitbit Charge 2 and it’s definitely one of the best sleep trackers out there. This device, which is the successor to the extremely popular Charge HR, is Fitbit’s new flagship activity tracker that sports some new software features, a bigger screen, smartphone notifications, interchangeable bands and many more improvements.
As for sleep tracking features, it will track how long you slept, how many times you woke up, how many times you were restless, and it’ll also show you sleep metrics for the past week, month or even year. It does all of this fairly accurately, too, which is always a good thing.
Plus, one of the most important features when tracking sleep is heart rate tracking, and luckily the Charge 2 sports a great optical heart rate monitor. You may get to sleep at a good time every night, but it may take a few hours for your heart rate to drop to a healthy resting heart rate level. This can help you really dial in how much sleep you need to get a quality rest.
Related: Fitbit Charge 2 and Flex 2 specs, price, release date and everything else you should know
This is not only one of the best sleep trackers out there, it’s also one of the best fitness trackers. If you’re interested, the Charge 2 is available on Amazon in multiple color options for just $149.95.
Buy now from Amazon
Also: Which Fitbit should I buy?
Misfit Ray
Another fitness tracker, the Misfit Ray is one of many Misfit models available. Including step, activity and distance tracking, light and heavy sleep are clocked for you. Connectivity to smart home devices take things to a new level, but easily controlling smart lights to help set the mood for sleep isn’t what we’re here for today.
Check out the Misfit Ray for $69.99 on Amazon today.
Buy the Misfit Ray now
Xiaomi Mi Band 2
Let there be no confusion here, Xiaomi is not yet a fully global company, but they’re getting there. US consumers will have to find third-party sales solutions, but rest assured, Mi Band is a solid fitness and sleep tracking tool. With both versions of the first generation of the Mi Band in-house, the Mi Band 2 promises the same basic set of sleep tracking and fitness options, then adds notifications, a clock and more.
More: Xiaomi Mi Band 2 review
The Xiaomi MiBand 2 is well worth your consideration at $24.99.
Buy the MiBand 2 now
Also read: The best fitness trackers
Samsung Gear Fit 2
The Samsung Gear Fit 2 isn’t as feature packed as something like the Garmin vívoactive HR, but it’s definitely still worth including on our list.
It’s smaller than many other GPS-enabled fitness trackers out there, and it actually looks quite good. It sports a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED color display that will certainly help you achieve a few days of battery life on a single charge. It also comes with an optical heart rate monitor, plenty of on-board storage for storing music, and automatic activity tracking.
See also: Samsung Gear Fit 2 review
Of course, it will also automatically track your sleep. When registering little to no motion while sleeping, the Gear Fit 2 can tell users the ‘efficiency’ of rest. It seems to take a while for the device to register that sleep is over – likely because obvious movement first needs to happen – but a notification showing the percentage of sleep efficiency will eventually greet users in the morning. Ours was always in the nineties, which seems a little suspect, but at least movement graphs in the S Health app show a little more information. It’s worth noting that the Gear Fit 2 doesn’t have wake up alarms (AKA silent alarms), so keep that in mind if you need that feature in a wearable.
The Gear Fit 2 is also priced very competitively at just $150. Head to the Amazon link below if you’re interested!
Buy now from Amazon
Sleep tip: White noise is not overrated. Your ears and brain get lost in the ‘numbing’ sounds of white noise, but only if used properly. Instead of firing up a fan beside your head, you can fire up a looping white noise track on your tablet. However, we’re trying to get the screens away from your head, and away from your bed, try a pair of noise cancelling headphones. No music required, the noise cancellation provides a white noise itself, not to mention blocking out other noises.
Side table solutions
Withings Aura
Lights, speakers, action! We’ve moved beyond a simple wrist-worn gadget here, the Withings Aura is a combination of a sensor that slips under your covers and a smart night-light / alarm clock side table device. Colored lights work to simulate the sunset, tricking you into sleep, and then as a morning sun to wake you up. Sounds assist in the process, including environment sensors to help negate odd noises.
The smart alarm feature works to slowly wake you, and at the best time for your sleep cycle. Head into the iOS app afterward to see how things went.
Check out the Withings Aura for $299 from Amazon.
Buy the Withings Aura now
Sense
Don’t want a light in your room? Check out Sense, utilizing the same basic offerings, sound, a sensor, smart alarm and more, Sense simply does not have a light. What Sense does offer, however, is advanced sensors to track light, sound, temperature, humidity and air quality – tracking your environment and your sleep to help you fine tune your rest.
Check out the Sense by Hello for $150 from Amazon today.
Buy the Sense sleep tracker now
Sleep tracking tip: Smart Voice Recorder for Android, or similar auto-start sound recording apps. These apps can be set to only record audio at a certain dB reading, so you won’t have to listen back to an entire night’s worth of sleep, it’ll just pick up the bits where you make noise. If nothing else, you can answer that burning question: do I snore?
Apps
Sleep as Android
One of the oldest sleep tracking apps on the Google Play Store, Sleep as Android utilizes the sensors in your Android phone as it rest on your bed to track your movement and sound as you sleep. Smart wake alarm optimizes for your sleep pattern and detailed analytics help you track all aspects of your sleep.
With a growing concern for mobile devices in the bed, Sleep as Android can also sync with your smartwatch, not top mention a constantly growing list of features to do more than you’d imagine with a simple sleep tracking app.
Sleep as Android is a free app in the Google Play Store, but there is a paid upgrade available to unlock the advanced features.
Download Sleep as Android now
Sleep Cycle alarm clock
While Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock does track your sleep, it does so with less purpose in mind, it is more of a smart alarm clock than sleep tracker. If all you are looking for is an alarm clock that wakes you at the best time in your sleep cycle, I think the name of this app says it all.
Look to spend $0.99 to get Sleep Cycle alarm clock on your Android device today.
Download Sleep Cycle alarm now
Sleep better with Runtastic
Runtastic is a fitness company, with a focus on, you guessed it, running. Smart alarms, graphs of light and deep sleep and more of the same sort of features as above are on deck. Added to the basics, Sleep Better with Runtastic includes mood tracking and dream recording to further help you understand your sleep and how it affects your daily life.
Check out Sleep Better with Runtastic for free from the Google Play Store.
Download sleep better with Runtastic now
Medical attention
Look, there is no way around it, there are sleep issues that require more than just an app or fancy night light to overcome. The tools above can certainly help improve otherwise healthy sleep, but if you find that things just are not looking right, please go see your doctor. Annoying sleep studies may be bypassed and the results you’ve collected from these tools could help get you onto a CPAP or other helpful medical equipment.
Do not ignore the signs, your overall quality of life could improve greatly with proper sleep, and sometimes do-it-yourself is not the answer to improved health.
There you have it. I never want my writing to put people to sleep, but in this case, I really do hope you get a great night of ZZZs after reading this. Which of these sleep trackers gets your vote? What sleep tracking and enhancing tools do you use? Let us know in the comments below!
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