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Sleep apps are a waste of time!
- Thread starter konicky
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Interesting. I've not tried these apps but tried sleep tracking simply using the Bedtime feature of my Apple Watch 6. It tells me when I go to sleep and when I wake up. I'm pretty sure I know this already 😀 My wife has a Fitbit which has much more detail in terms of sleep quality etc. Even then, it's information overload that I wouldn't actually use, so kind of pointless for me. So I've reverted to charging my Apple Watch overnight on a nightstand, using it as an alarm. And then having a full day's battery for all the other good things it does - tracking steps, using Apple Fitness+, Apple Pay etc etc. The watch is of great use to me during the day, not so much during the night. And, to be honest, I don't really like wearing it at night anyway.
Quick question to everyone here using such an app:
Do you sleep better because of it?
Do you sleep better because of it?
Sorta, it’s just data. Helps to see differences when you’re sleeping drunk Vs sober.
If you use the alarm that’sa different thing
My primary use for wearing a watch overnight is to have a client haptic alarm to not wake up Lady Hamsa on those days I need to get up before her.
Sleep tracking hasn't been very accurate, but I'm hoping it will improve as the new sensors are used to their full potential. Sleep tracking could be very accurate, IF you're willing to accept the associated batter drain associated with frequent or constant monitoring. Currently, monitoring is more or less on a sampling basis and there's no real way for it to pick up on everything that's going on that way.
Sleep tracking hasn't been very accurate, but I'm hoping it will improve as the new sensors are used to their full potential. Sleep tracking could be very accurate, IF you're willing to accept the associated batter drain associated with frequent or constant monitoring. Currently, monitoring is more or less on a sampling basis and there's no real way for it to pick up on everything that's going on that way.
Gee, my primary care physician and my sleep doctor found my SleepWatch data very useful. And it saved me from having to keep a paper log for two weeks. Now, it helps me identify/confirm what environmental factors impact my sleep and observe trends in my sleep. These observations have helped me to improve the overall quality of my sleep.
But to each her own.
But to each her own.
If you don't like sleep apps and wearing a watch to bed, then stop using said apps and wearing the watch to bed.
This is the second time you have recently created a thread on this same subject using the same video.
Whether you agree with it or not, some people find benefit in some of the apps, even if those apps aren't providing all the accurate data the gent in the video addresses.
Not sure why you are on a sleep app crusade with this YouTuber, unless you are the gent in the video.
I don't think I necessarily sleep better because of it. I just find it interesting. I also like to try to compare the results with how I think I slept. And hypothesize - for ex. if I've dreamt a lot, it seems the app shows I've had less deep sleep. If I cannot recall my dreams, it seems the app shows I've had more deep sleep.
I use the stock sleep app and like the haptic alarm feature as well. So nice to wake up without a loud obnoxious noise.
Nope, different video, different sleep app. If you are not interested move along and for your information I have no connection to the YouTuber!
I only use sleep apps on the iPhone to get a pretty good estimation on how much I slept that night, and even though Apples own sleep tracking could do that, it feels a bit more fun with the Sleep Cycle...
Also, sleeping with the watch on gives me HRV readings during the night which is beneficial for me who trains a lot, since HRV usually correlates to when I need to rest more etc.
Also, sleeping with the watch on gives me HRV readings during the night which is beneficial for me who trains a lot, since HRV usually correlates to when I need to rest more etc.
I’ve tried various sleep apps on various watches over a few years. I do wear my watch in bed always but only because I might want to know what time it is at some ungodly hour without fumbling around for my phone. I came to the conclusion a while ago that I don’t need an App to tell me if I have had a good night’s sleep and it just isn’t important to know when I fell asleep or woke up or went for a pee. Manufacturers have done a good job in convincing us we need sleep Apps. I find all they do is add to the anxiety of not sleeping well. It’s not like a watch can make you sleep better. Relax at the end of the day / avoid screen time in the evening / don’t eat late at night - especially sugary foods post T time. Alcohol doesn’t help but I’m not giving up my Friday / Saturday night couple of beers - it’s worth it 😅. We absolutely do not need sleep apps anymore than we need to track our heart rate day in day out once we have a good understanding of it, or our steps if we know we are active. I run at least three times a week (15k each time) - so my steps and flights climbed are irrelevant. We do still have choices. That’s just my view but at the end of the day it’s down to individual choice and personal preference.
Same here. Been struggling with sleep for years, and working with my therapist to try and correct it I used sleep data to get actual numbers. I didn’t have to write it all down. It’s been helpful to me, measuring averages over time to see if any of the things I did to sleep better/longer actually did anything.
right, the wrist based sensors can't give you the more advanced indicators. Sleep style metrics from the bed (see this academic paper) could help inform how restless you were during sleep, which is useful to know in addition to the number of hours slept.
similar idea for running shoes: it seems like underarmour's latest products measure gait, which in addition to how many miles you run can tell you about the efficiency of your running technique.
I don't believe anyone really expects scientific accuracy from a $2.99 app 
Where it can be useful though is in building habits. For example, I found out that even the teeny-tiniest amount of alcohol in the evening will have a massive negative impact on my sleep to the point where I get barely any or no deep sleep at all. And while I, like everyone who has experienced the joys of a massive hangover in the morning, was very much aware of the fact that after a night of medium to heavy drinking I would wake up the next morning feeling like a dozen bulldozers decided to have an 80s dance party on my head all night long I had no idea that even a single beer would already have a noticeable impact on my sleep pattern.
The resulting habit for me is that I now refrain from drinking any alcohol at all on days where I know I will need to bring my A game the next day, and only drink on days where the benefits of a good night's sleep won't really matter the next day.
Where it can be useful though is in building habits. For example, I found out that even the teeny-tiniest amount of alcohol in the evening will have a massive negative impact on my sleep to the point where I get barely any or no deep sleep at all. And while I, like everyone who has experienced the joys of a massive hangover in the morning, was very much aware of the fact that after a night of medium to heavy drinking I would wake up the next morning feeling like a dozen bulldozers decided to have an 80s dance party on my head all night long I had no idea that even a single beer would already have a noticeable impact on my sleep pattern.
The resulting habit for me is that I now refrain from drinking any alcohol at all on days where I know I will need to bring my A game the next day, and only drink on days where the benefits of a good night's sleep won't really matter the next day.