For anyone looking to get better tracking and a bird’s eye view of your sleep habits, be sure to check out Sleep++ 2.0 available today. This latest version brings in a major sleep analysis algorithm overhaul to help users get a better understanding of nightly sleep patterns.
For users who frequently forget to stop their sleep tracking, the app’s update also introduces the ability to trim time off any extra hours accidentally accrued.
Today’s algorithm overhaul allows for better declarations of sleep types within Sleep++. A user’s sleep is categorized as either deep or light sleep, restlessness or wakefulness. The optimizations brought in with the new version accurately indicate which type of sleep the user was experiencing, and when.
Sleep++ 2.0 also introduces a detail view, where users can get a more granular look at a previous nights’ sleep. Users can now easily see the overall percentage of restlessness and restfulness. This is especially beneficial for the moments when a user wants to confirm that any new bedtime habits have positively or negatively impacted their overall sleep.
Users who choose to do so may also export the sleep data output into the iOS Health app. From here it can then be shared out to other apps that utilize the Sleep Analysis data, like Lark or the Jawbone UP application. This data exported out into the Health app also includes the more refined details provided by Sleep++’s new sleep analysis improvements.
The trouble with any type of tracker that relies on data within a set time period is remembering to turn it off when the activity is completed. Possibly the best feature of Sleep++ 2.0 is the ability to trim a previous night’s recorded sleep. No longer do users have to forfeit an entire’s night worth of data just because they forgot to turn off the tracker four hours after they woke up. Users can now jump into Sleep++, and trim down the recorded data to reflect the exact moment when they woke up.
For those that are wondering how it’s possible to track your sleep after having worn the Watch all day, be sure to check out Smith’s blog post detailing some small timing tricks that will help.
Sleep++ 2.0 is available for free in the App Store with a $1.99 in-app purchase to remove advertisements. Sleep++ 2.0 is compatible with iPhones running iOS 9.0 or later, and the Apple Watch. The update is still propagating across the App Store, so be sure to keep an eye out for it in your Updates tab.
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How could you track your sleep while you have to charge the Apple Watch at night?
At the bottom of the article I post a link to David Smith’s post where he describes how to achieve this. I’ve been doing it for a few months and it’s been successful for me.
I wear my 38mm watch to bed every night. Charge it right before I go to bed. Wake up and it’s still 80% charged.
Does this app work with the watch in Airplane mode? Not only does this use less battery, but I don’t want Bluetooth transmission taking place all night to and from my wrist.
Ha. That blog you posted answered my question. Good article.
Yeah I was really surprised how simple of a method it was. Instead of one long charge everyday, I do two small ones. Has worked out great for me.
It does work in Airplane mode. The app actually suggests you enable Airplane mode every night when you begin sleep to lessen the effects on your battery. Then, when I’m getting ready in the morning, I’ll place my Apple Watch on the charger for 15-20 minutes, and be topped off for the rest of the day.
Sleep tracking should be done with another device. Period.
There is never going to be a rechargeable device (Apple Watch or otherwise) that you wear at night to track sleep and then also wear during the day for primary activities.
Sleep tracking should be done with another device. Period.
I don’t think it’s impossible to both wear a device during the day, and at night. Nothing dictates having to wear the device 24/7.
I wear my Apple Watch to bed because I use it as a silent alarm. Sleep tracking is just an added benefit. Best thing about this update is the trim feature. Sometimes I forget to stop sleeping so being able to trim off that bad data is great.
That trim feature alone is worth the update for me. Every sleep tracker I’ve ever used I faced the same problem of forgetting to turn off the tracking.
Agreed! I forgot to stop the tracking, proceeded to go and snow blow our driveway, and a huge section of our street during last week’s blizzard here in MN, and then looked at my data and noticed a large period of “wakefulness” :-)
I have used a Microsoft Band with my iPhone for over a year now and not only is it possible, it is very handy. I’m looking at possibilities of moving to the Apple Watch but if not, I’m very happy with the sleep tracking performance of the Microsoft Band.
PMZanetti why do you think this and do you have any proof to back it up?
Seriously? People actually wear a huge chunk of metal on their wrists when they are sleeping?
I wear mine to sleep all the time, and don’t find it to be an obtrusion. I use either the Leather Loop, or the Sport Band, and have found both to be equally comfortable.
Yes. Why does this shock people? Some people wear watches in the shower. I find that more odd than wearing a watch to bed.
I wear my Apple Watch: In bed, in the shower, in the pool, and in the ocean. First and foremost it’s a watch, so I wear like I would any other.
I tested this app but the result was not very precise and frustrating in usage. I prefer the Nickerchen App – it’s a manual tracker but more precise and cheaper ;-)
Sleep Pulse 2 offers the same
Hey guys, can you tell me what this app (or data) is good for? Ok, you know you slept for 7 hours 23 min. and you were restless for 13 min. So what? How can this information help you to sleep better?
Just currious.
Personally I have knee pains and problems. Using this data I can better understand how restless I was through the evening.
For example, on days I have very little to no pain, I notice my restlessness is less throughout the night and I wake up feeling better. The opposite is true when I have a lot of knee pain.
I’ve also been using this data when I want track restlessness after disconnecting from tech an hour before bed. I use this hour to unwind and read something that takes my mind away from the day, like a fiction book. I find that even though I may sleep as many hours as before, I feel like I got better sleep.
The entire process is too long for me to explain in a comment here, but if there is further interest I could write up a post on utilizing data from the Health app to better track and understand your days.
I track my sleep data to see my sleep deficient over a week and to see my long time sleep habits. It is useful for a better self-care. But I don’t need sketchy restless information.
I track my sleep because I have narcolepsy and our sleep cycles are so screwed up it is hard for most of us to just lay down & go to sleep. By tracking we can show our sleep doctor the results for a month and possibly get a medicine change
I use a similar charging method for my Microsoft Band but since it has a two day battery, I only need to charge to 80% every morning and then to 100% on the weekends, just to get the satisfaction of topping it off. I can see myself following the advice in the blog in order to use the Apple Watch for the same function. I’m still on the fence about buying the Apple Watch and expecting it to track my sleep as reliably as the Microsoft Band has done but I’m gaining a little bit of confidence with this article and the link to the blog. It sounds very doable.
Consider this alternative with automatic sleep tracking
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/heart-analyzer/id1006420410?mt=8
Feedback would be great!
Ayer installing the App the heart monitoring function and stand function on the watch stopped working, any ideas?
Why is no one questioning the accuracy of this app? Is there an explanation anywhere of how it uses the sensor data to determine different sleep cycles? And restfulness?