Usefulness of sleep Data

[klspahr]

The sleep data collection is pretty cool, but can anyone explain how they have used the data to improve their quality of sleep?

Reports on the quality of your sleep is a first step but what else can be learned? I’m really curious how I can improve my sleep with this data.

 

[Luis Ortega]

You would need to do something with it, like changing some habit before sleeping, and seeing if it affected the sleep stages.
It’s just data.

 

[klspahr]

Of course, I did a web search looking for specific strategies for better sleep using Apple Watch data, got a big-ol-zip. When I read the articles they either had no examples or they just spit out the same old suggestions they were giving years before the Apple Watch was around. Not one personal account of results. Yet you can find many articles of how crystals solves all problems. What a world we live in - the quacks are taking over.

I was thinking about getting a watch but I can't see any real reason for collecting data because you can.

One would think they could find just few stories about HOW people actually used this data for better sleep...

 

[Thomas Davie]

I have improved my sleep somewhat. being able to show my sleep data to medical staff has led to medication changes for me. That’s about all I expected going in, and it has paid off.

tom

 

[Mackilroy]

You can (with third-party apps) keep track of the quality of your sleep, get recommendations on when to go to bed to get sufficient rest, and combined with HRV and RHR see how prepared you are to tackle the next day. Sleep data alone is fine, but you need more to make it really useful. It’s also worth keeping track of your water intake, and your activity near bedtime. If you’re overly active or drink a lot around the time you go to bed, it’ll show up in your quality of sleep.

 

[mlody]

I am skeptical that sleep tracking is any good or beneficial. I imagine that 10-15 mins read on how to improve sleep naturally is probably just as good as dealing with Apple Watch and trying to interpret any data it might give you. I cant imagine the that the watch would tell you anything new of any significant value, that you couldn't find not the internet, as it is not a medical device.

 

[Mackilroy]

Reading on the Internet won't tell me how many times I wake up in the night, or for how long. Reading won't tell me my RHR, HRV, or even begin to guess at how much of my sleep was REM, deep, core, etc. As I said, sleep data alone is worth only so much - it needs paired with other information to become truly useful. I sleep more and better since I started tracking my sleep regularly - yes, some of that I could do without the watch, but far more of it would be manual instead of automatic.

As @Thomas Davie's experience shows, it doesn't need to be a 'medical device' to be of value.

 

[mlody]

Reading on the Internet won't tell me how many times I wake up in the night, or for how long. Reading won't tell me my RHR, HRV, or even begin to guess at how much of my sleep was REM, deep, core, etc. As I said, sleep data alone is worth only so much - it needs paired with other information to become truly useful. I sleep more and better since I started tracking my sleep regularly - yes, some of that I could do without the watch, but far more of it would be manual instead of automatic.

True, it wont, but the thing is, for many people, data is not important if they just follow a dozen or so recommendations on how to improve the sleep. I dont need Apple Watch to recognize that I should not drink late at night, or eat, or have coffee, etc. Those are some well known and documented items to follow without needing or looking at any data. While seeing all the data might be cool, ultimately it comes down to following best practices for better sleep. If that does not work, I would recommend seeking professional help.

 

[Mackilroy]

Sure, you don’t need data, but if you have it, you can improve more quickly than going off vague feelings of improvement. Generic advice is a good baseline, but that’s all it is. Someone might handle late-night eating and drinking better than others, or perhaps they work night shifts, or they have a schedule that’s inconsistent because of work or health matters. Perhaps they’re training for an event, and need to hit certain sleep metrics in order to be prepared. All I’m challenging is your notion that because you can’t imagine why it might be useful, that there’s no significant value to it.

 

[Tdude96]

The data's just data, you can make use of it, or just log it for later "just in case." If you were to go to a sleep specialist for a consult, you'd most likely be asked for a sleep log, and this data would serve that purpose quite well. A sleep specialist is likely to give precisely the same advice as what you'd find online about sleeping strategies, minus any old wives tales that make their way into those articles, and the specialist would probably have you try those strategies and keep a sleep log (this data) for X amount of time to see what works for you and what doesn't, switch out for other strategies to dial in what works.

I think it'd be nice if with on-device Apple Intelligence they could bring the various bits of Health data together to be more informative, make connections between sleep, work, exercise, heart rate, temperature, etc to give health insights and suggestions and warnings. It seems like most of the data is available, but a lot of people don't know how to connect with the data and make use of the large volume of data in an informed way that would allow them to take appropriate action.

 

[a_hammertime]

I'd suggest using it for more long term help. Notice you're getting less sleep recently or waking up more each night? What changes have you made in your life that impact that? I've started using mine more frequently with the birth of our child less than two weeks ago. I get to see how much sleep he gives us and helps me plan for what sort of naps I might need during the day.

 

[cjsuk]

The best way you can use the sleep data is to turn it off I found. It just worries me and I sleep better if I don't know or care about things.

 

[Luis Ortega]

I am skeptical that sleep tracking is any good or beneficial. I imagine that 10-15 mins read on how to improve sleep naturally is probably just as good as dealing with Apple Watch and trying to interpret any data it might give you. I cant imagine the that the watch would tell you anything new of any significant value, that you couldn't find not the internet, as it is not a medical device.

My wife has another brand watch and it kept documenting wild heart rate fluctuations at night and that prompted her to see a doctor who found she was suffering from afib, so it can provide a useful bit of data.
i was so impressed I went out and bought an Apple Watch.

 

[alexsa]

I had the Fitbit and that sleep data was really good and much more useful then Apple Watch. I actually miss that part of it.

 

[wargamer6]

True, it wont, but the thing is, for many people, data is not important if they just follow a dozen or so recommendations on how to improve the sleep. I dont need Apple Watch to recognize that I should not drink late at night, or eat, or have coffee, etc. Those are some well known and documented items to follow without needing or looking at any data. While seeing all the data might be cool, ultimately it comes down to following best practices for better sleep. If that does not work, I would recommend seeking professional help.

So don't use it. Problem solved.

 

[andyw715]

Abnormally low respiratory rate during sleep can indicate sleep apnea (among other things). The graph is helpful....low followed by rapid - you may have stopped breathing, then faster breathing to get more oxygen.

Combine that with the O2 sensor

 

[Bandoholic]

It’s useful to know how much awake time during sleep hours, so I can gauge it to my overall feeling the next day

 

[Thomas Davie]

I was anle to get a prescription for eZopiclone from a dialysis staff nephrologist after showing them 8 months of sleep data and a dosage adjustment subsequent to that. Going from 1 > 2 >3 mg not working, so Ambien, Halcion pr Temazepam have been mentioned as possibilities.

Was also able to demonstrate the impact of LYME disease on my overall sleep.

Tom

 

[mtbdudex]

You would need to do something with it, like changing some habit before sleeping, and seeing if it affected the sleep stages.
It’s just data.

I posted the below in another thread.
My take on good sleep from the data:

Don’t go to bed with “un finished business” on your mind, yep.

Simply: Write it down, have a plan for your next day / days task.
The fact that you have it written down helps take it off your mind. You have it covered, won’t forget about it.


From other post:
I’ve used my sleep tracking to identify awake time and reason among other things. I do this in spurts, say night wear it 2-3 weeks, then not possibly 1-2 months. If you have a iPhone pointing at you - for clock , it will give you general stats like shown in green.
For me; less awake mitigation is being better prepared for the next day or upcoming event.

 

[jedimasterkyle]

For the longest time, I've wanted to wear my watch to bed in order to see my sleep patterns but my CPAP already does a good portion of that already so I have a hard time justifying wearing my watch to bed at all. I just wish my CPAP could interface with Apple Health so that I stop getting notifications about "Set up your sleep in Apple Watch".

 

[PhantomSoul]

Sleep tracking collects a bunch of data points about your sleep, and provides some visualizations to help read them. It also alerts you to trend changes for certain data points that Apple thinks might be useful. However, in both cases Apple does not attempt to provide any kind of analysis and/or recommendation - other than to consult a medical provider if a particular reading concerns you. This is because analysis and recommendations for the same data points can vary based on what your personal health goals and priorities might be, and really need to be discussed with a medical provider. Many providers work with medical platforms that can directly access Apple Health data points you allow, while many others work with a system that may have an app you can get for your phone, giving you a way to share relevant Apple Health data points with your provider.

 

[JT2002TJ]

For the longest time, I've wanted to wear my watch to bed in order to see my sleep patterns but my CPAP already does a good portion of that already so I have a hard time justifying wearing my watch to bed at all. I just wish my CPAP could interface with Apple Health so that I stop getting notifications about "Set up your sleep in Apple Watch".

I have mild sleep apnea. I use a CPAP nightly. I have a Philips CPAP machine that sends data to the DreamMapper app. I don't think it interfaces with the Health app, like you said. But I do have Sleep tracking set on my watch. It sets my weekly alarm to wake up, and puts my watch automatically into sleep focus at bedtime.

I used to use Sleepyhead, before my Philips machine was replaced by Philips due to the recall:

Sleepyhead. Get the software safely and easily.

SleepyHead has been designed for reviewing and exploring data produced by CPAP and related machines...

sleepyhead.software.informer.com

What used to do with Sleepyhead is look at my AHI events and compare it to my heartrate data gathered from the AW (say I had an AHI event at 11:51 PM, I would look at my HR data around that time). I just want to make sure that the machine was also reducing the HR swings. Now, since i stopped using the Sleepyhead software regularly, I check my DreamMapper app every day (that triggers the connection to the machine) and make sure my nightly AHI is <2 and my mask fit is 100%. Every so often I look at the usage details (which I couldn't do in the app before, I needed Sleepyhead to see it) just to make sure nothing abnormal shows up, but this doesn't have the timeline details like Sleepyhead. If my mask fit starts to drop off, I know it is time to adjust the straps and/or replace the mask cushion.

I also think the watch does a better job of telling me my actual sleep time. The CPAP machine only tells me usage, while the watch tells me actual sleep times.

So, for me, the sleep data is something to use in addition to other data collected. If I notice any major changes, I will schedule an appointment with my pulmonologist. So far, I haven't had to, my CPAP machine works and there haven't been any changes.