Difference in Sleep Stages Between Different Apple Watches

[srknpower]

I have been using Apple Watch Series 8’s sleep stages feature since the day I bought it. But it always showed me multiple awakenings although never remembering I woke up that much on those nights. Last night to test sleep stages I wore my Series 8 on my left wrist, and my brother’s Series 5 on my right wrist(I am right-handed.). Again I don’t remember I woke up last night but my Series 8 thinks I woke up more than 5 times. Although the sleep stages are so similar between Watches I think there is a problem with Sleep Stages on Apple Watch Series 8. Although I adjusted the bands at the same size, Series 8 was a bit looser on my wrist. It can be a cause of this. And as you know Series 8 has much more sensitive accelerometer and gyroscope than Series 5. I think this sensitivity might cause this problem as well.

Uyanık is Awake in Turkish.
Yüzeyel is Core.
Derin is Deep.

 

[BenGoren]

I’m not surprised that there should be differences between the two watches. There have been plenty of hardware revisions between them.

May I suggest?

Have a word with your primary care doctor. Not urgently; you can wait until your next annual physical — but don’t forget about it, either.

Waking multiple times but having no recollection of waking is fairly common. It can have any number of causes, but it’s a classic symptom of sleep apnea, which is one of (if not the most) common sleep disorders. Basically, the muscles in your neck relax to the point that they don’t hold your airway open, and you start to suffocate. Naturally, your body briefly goes into panic mode, you wake up, catch your breath … and, there no longer being anything to panic about, you go right back to sleep.

There are, of course, lots of other possible causes for you to wake and not remember; just ask any sleepwalker or anybody who lives with one.

So … a word with a doctor would be a good idea. Somebody who has a clue would know what sorts of questions to ask (and, if appropriate, what sorts of other diagnostics to perform) to make sure that nothing serious is going on. (There’s almost certainly nothing serious going on.) And the doctor would be able to tell you what to be aware of for the future, and might have some suggestions for things to do now.

For example, assuming it’s sleep apnea, there are simple exercises to build up the neck muscles; if you’re carrying a few extra pounds, this would be a good reason to try to slim down; and, if it starts to interfere with your waking hours (such as if you’re perpetually tired even after ostensibly getting a full night’s sleep), there are devices (such as a CPAP machine) that are called for. (But, if it’s something else entirely … well, that’s for the doctor to figure out.)

Again: not urgent; put it on your list, but just make sure it doesn’t perpetually fall off the list. Sleep is one of the pillars of health; making sure you sleep well will pay dividends your whole life.

b&

 

[srknpower]

I’m not surprised that there should be differences between the two watches. There have been plenty of hardware revisions between them.

May I suggest?

Have a word with your primary care doctor. Not urgently; you can wait until your next annual physical — but don’t forget about it, either.

Waking multiple times but having no recollection of waking is fairly common. It can have any number of causes, but it’s a classic symptom of sleep apnea, which is one of (if not the most) common sleep disorders. Basically, the muscles in your neck relax to the point that they don’t hold your airway open, and you start to suffocate. Naturally, your body briefly goes into panic mode, you wake up, catch your breath … and, there no longer being anything to panic about, you go right back to sleep.

There are, of course, lots of other possible causes for you to wake and not remember; just ask any sleepwalker or anybody who lives with one.

So … a word with a doctor would be a good idea. Somebody who has a clue would know what sorts of questions to ask (and, if appropriate, what sorts of other diagnostics to perform) to make sure that nothing serious is going on. (There’s almost certainly nothing serious going on.) And the doctor would be able to tell you what to be aware of for the future, and might have some suggestions for things to do now.

For example, assuming it’s sleep apnea, there are simple exercises to build up the neck muscles; if you’re carrying a few extra pounds, this would be a good reason to try to slim down; and, if it starts to interfere with your waking hours (such as if you’re perpetually tired even after ostensibly getting a full night’s sleep), there are devices (such as a CPAP machine) that are called for. (But, if it’s something else entirely … well, that’s for the doctor to figure out.)

Again: not urgent; put it on your list, but just make sure it doesn’t perpetually fall off the list. Sleep is one of the pillars of health; making sure you sleep well will pay dividends your whole life.

b&

Appreciated. Thank you very much for your nice, and great explanation. I am a final-year medical student. As far as I know, I don’t have any types of Sleep Apnea(Obstructive or Central). But I have been suffering from insomnia for a long time. I have had many nights waking up and turning in bed Just as you said, there is a possibility that Series 5 didn’t save my wakings. Also, I will visit a psychiatrist for insomnia and a pulmonologist to make sure I don’t have sleep apnea.

Again it is very kind of you that you greatly made recommendations to me.

 

[BenGoren]

Appreciated. Thank you very much for your nice, and great explanation. I am a final-year medical student. As far as I know, I don’t have any types of Sleep Apnea(Obstructive or Central). But I have been suffering from insomnia for a long time. I have had many nights waking up and turning in bed Just as you said, there is a possibility that Series 5 didn’t save my wakings. Also, I will visit a psychiatrist for insomnia and a pulmonologist to make sure I don’t have sleep apnea.

Again it is very kind of you that you greatly made recommendations to me.

No problem.

If you’re a medical student in the home stretch … well, I’m sure that accounts for an awful lot of sleep problems in and of itself. Not an easy degree program!

But the good news is you have the perfect excuse to seek out and talk to the experts. Even if, as is very likely the case, you have nothing to personally worry about, it’s a great opportunity to add some sleep tools to your toolkit.

And … of course, anything you can do to improve your sleep will also improve your academic results, and your career, and your life …

b&