meganwoolsey Home
Related Articles
Having a good sleep cycle is something many of us struggle with. Proper sleep is essential for our physical and mental well-being. If you have an irregular schedule or issues like sleep apnea, however, it can be difficult to get a good night’s sleep. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in three adults in the US doesn’t get enough rest every day. Paying attention to your bedtime habits and tracking your sleep patterns can be a good way to better understand and improve the quality of your sleep. That’s where sleep trackers come in.
Sleep trackers come in all shapes and sizes. You can get them as wearables like watches and smart rings, devices that go onto your bedside table or smart beds themselves. Using firsthand testing and our years of experience reviewing mattresses and sleep products, we’ve compiled a list of the best sleep trackers available today.
What is the best overall sleep tracker?
Our best overall sleep tracker pick is the Whoop 4.0 Band, thanks to its in-depth sleep information and personalized recommendations. With no buttons or screens on the band, Whoop looks simple at first glance. However, the band’s five LEDs, body temperature sensors and photodiodes provide valuable insight into your sleep. A few of our CNET sleep experts have been using Whoop for months and have found it to provide the most reliable and accurate sleep data.
An example of the nightly sleep data provided by Whoop.
I also tested the AI Whoop Coach and found it intuitive and a great feature if you’re already interested in the band. You can ask the AI Coach anything, and it will give you personalized answers and insights based on your sleep data. With Whoop, you get sleep data and assistance with interpreting everything.
Best sleep trackers for 2024
Whoop is the ultimate sleep tracker. With its advanced AI-powered technology and comprehensive data analysis, Whoop provides excellent insights into your sleep quality. This wearable monitors key sleep metrics like sleep stages, heart-rate variability, respiratory rate and hours of sleep and restorative sleep, helping you better understand your sleep patterns. It’s also the most accurate we’ve tested, and the battery lasts up to four to five days without charging.
In addition to the insights, it has an integrated coach that provides personalized recommendations, like when to go to bed or mindful breathing techniques, based on your sleep data. There’s no screen, which we think is better for sleeping as the light from wearable screens can distract and even wake you.
Whoop offers a monthly membership option for $30, though after the first month, you must commit to a minimum of 12 months. There are up-front membership options that lower the cost. The annual membership costs $239 and the 24-month membership is $399.
Pros:
- Personalized recommendations based on your sleep data
- Provides reliable and accurate sleep data
- Removable battery pack allows you to charge from your wrist
- Long battery life
- No distracting screen
Cons:
- Chunky design
- No screen
- Expensive subscription plan
- 12-month minimum commitment
Additional details:
- Wearable: Yes
- Metrics measured: Heart-rate variability, resting heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen, temperature and sleep performance
- Trial: One month
- Subscription: $30 monthly (12-month commitment) or $239 annual
- Price: $$
The Fitbit is a fitness tracker that measures physical activity and sleep data. It has a sleek design, a small digital screen and an impressive battery life of up to 10 days. At $100, it’s also one of the most affordable sleep trackers.
The Fitbit measures heart rate, blood oxygen levels and time spent in different sleep stages, delivering a calculated sleep score that rates your overall sleep quality. During the day, you can use your Fitbit to track your steps, workouts, calories burned and more. The Fitbit Inspire 3 also provides a daily stress management score and offers mindfulness sessions that teach healthier ways to respond to stress.
I like how small and slim the Fitbit is — it’s not clunky like other wearables we’ve tried, which makes it more comfortable to sleep with. The app is user-friendly and easy to navigate. You won’t get any advanced insights, but the Fitbit is a dependable option for those starting their sleep-tracking journey. You don’t have to pay for the $10 per month subscription to use the sleep and workout tracking features, but you will need the subscription to access more advanced offerings such as workout classes, mindfulness sessions, recipes and more.
Pros:
- Unobtrusive design
- Long battery life
- Affordable price for Fitbit features
Cons:
- Light from screen may be distracting
- No buttons that release the bands
- Advanced features require a subscription
Additional details:
- Wearable: Yes
- Metrics measured: Respiratory rate, heart rate, body temperature, exercise and calories burned, duration of sleep stages and blood oxygen levels
- Trial: 6 months
- Subscription: $10 per month or $80 per year
- Price: $
More expensive than other wearables on the market, the Oura Ring is a high-tech, lightweight device worn on a finger. It’s more comfortable than a wrist wearable and delivers accurate readings on your heart rate, blood-oxygen levels, sleep stages and overall sleep score. It also offers insights into other aspects of health, like stress, menstrual cycles and illness monitoring.
Oura tracks activity independently, and you can also integrate it with other apps such as Apple Health, Strava and Google Fit. It has excellent battery life — Oura claims it lasts up to seven days, but we’ve found it’s more like five to six days, which is still great. Over time, the Oura Ring gets to know your body and provides highly accurate insights and customized reports to help you understand your overall health and well-being.
Pros:
- Sleep score makes understanding sleep quality easy
- Personalized health data and recommendations
- Comfortable ring design
- Long battery life
Cons:
- Subscription is required for advanced features, though it’s only $6 per month
Additional details:
- Wearable: Yes
- Metrics measured: Heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen level and body temperature
- Trial: One month
- Subscription: $6 per month
- Price: $$$
If you’re not into wearables but a new sleep-tracking bed is outside your budget, you may enjoy the Withings Sleep Tracking Mat. This thin mat goes underneath your mattress, so you don’t even know it’s there. It has pneumatic and sound sensors that measure your heart rate, respiratory rate, movements, snore detection and sleep cycles.
After waking up, you can view your data in the free Health Mate app through its Wi-Fi sync. The app also automatically generates a sleep diary that includes your sleep score each night. It’s important to note that the Withings Sleep Tracking Mat is powered through a USB cable and must be plugged in.
Pros:
- Automatically compiles your data into a sleep diary
- Noninvasive way to track sleep
- It can turn off lights automatically when you get into bed
Cons:
- If you sleep with another person, there is a chance it could pick up their movements
- You need to have an outlet nearby to plug it in
Additional details:
- Wearable: No
- Metrics measured: Snoring, heart and respiratory rate and movements
- Trial: 30 nights
- Warranty: Two-year warranty
- Subscription: N/A
- Price: $
The second-generation Google Nest Hub is an impressive, all-in-one sleep-tracking smart home device. The Sleep Sensing feature requires an additional $10 per month subscription and uses sound and motion sensors. The device has to be close to the bed and calibrated to your specific sleeping position. It will then provide sleep data, including time spent in different sleep cycles and sleep disturbances. It also measures heart and respiratory rates and even changes in light or temperature. The Google Nest Hub can be used as a sunrise alarm clock to gradually and gently wake you up with light rather than sounding an alarm.
Aside from its ability to track sleep and promote better rest, it has all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a smart home device. You can play music, ask Google questions with a “hey Google” voice command, control home functions, display personal photos and more.
Pros:
- You get a sleep report each morning
- Connects to the Google Fit app
- Soothing sleep sounds and the Sunrise Alarm features
Cons:
- Not the most detailed snapshot of your sleep
- Device placement near other people or pets may cause inaccurate readings
- Sleep Sensing requires an additional subscription
Additional details:
- Wearable: No
- Metrics measured: Sleep cycles, heart and respiratory rate, temperature and light changes
- Subscription: $10 per month
- Warranty: One-year warranty
- Price: $
Read our Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) review.
With the Sleep Number c2 Smart Bed, your sleeping surface is your sleep tracker. Tiny sensors throughout the mattress track movement, heart rate, temperature and breathing. You can’t feel them, but these sensors constantly gather data and read your sleep performance, generating a SleepIQ score on the app with personal insights to help you understand your sleep quality.
In addition to its sleep-tracking feature, you can adjust your firmness level, making it an ideal mattress for most sleeping positions and body types. This smart bed can also sense each sleeper’s movements and adjust automatically throughout the night to keep you comfortable. Though it’s at a higher price point, it doesn’t require a subscription like many other sleep trackers and could be a great option if you’re already in the market for a new bed.
Pros:
- Firm profile is good for easing back pain
- Reasonable price for a Sleep Number bed
- No monthly subscription
- Separate adjustable sides for comfort and tracking individualized sleep data
Cons:
- Might be too firm for some sleepers
- The base is sold separately
- Bed has to be plugged into an electrical outlet
Additional details:
- Wearable: No
- Metrics measured: Heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature and movement
- Trial: 100 nights
- Subscription: N/A
- Warranty: 15-year limited warranty
- Price: $$$
How we chose the best sleep trackers
Our sleep experts have been testing and assessing sleep products for years. From mattresses to bedding to sleep accessories, we know which products are worth writing home about.
Features
The main criteria we consider when evaluating sleep trackers are the sleep data points they measure. Sleep trackers should offer valuable insights into different aspects of sleep, including sleep quality, duration, cycles and patterns. We also considered their additional features, like the ability to measure blood oxygen levels, heart rate, physical activity and other valuable health data.
Accuracy
Another crucial factor when choosing a sleep tracker is its accuracy. No current device on the market is as accurate as a polysomnography test, which measures brain activity and wave patterns — true indicators of your sleeping stages and whether you’re asleep or awake. However, trackers with heart rate and blood-oxygen level sensors are the most reliable. For nonwearables, we looked for sleep trackers that measured breathing patterns or external factors such as temperature and light.
Price
From wallet-friendly to premium, there are sleep trackers to fit a range of different budgets. We showcase sleep trackers that offer solid results for your money. There are more expensive sleep-tracking fitness wearables and high-tech smart beds you can invest in, but we chose to focus on the ones that offer accurate sleep tracking at a fairer price.
Battery life
Battery life and charging are other factors we considered. A sleep-tracking product that requires being charged daily or nightly can be unmanageable or unrealistic for some people, and we get that. That’s why sleep trackers with longer-lasting battery life were chosen for this list. If you’re looking at a sleep tracker that requires an outlet, such as the Withings Sleep Tracking Mat, that’s something to consider if you don’t have one easily accessible near your bed.
What to consider when shopping for a sleep tracker
The sleep tracker market is made up of more than just watches. You have a lot of variety to choose from, which can be overwhelming if you aren’t sure where to start. Before you begin shopping for a sleep tracker, keep these features in mind.
Type
Before shopping, you should decide what type of sleep tracker you want to use. Most people think of watches when looking for a sleep tracker, but other types may better suit your needs. There are also rings, mattresses and mat sleep trackers.
Price
The price range for sleep tracker devices varies, so determining your budget first will help you narrow down your best options. It’s also important to factor in the monthly or yearly subscriptions that some sleep tracker devices require.
Additional features
Determining what you expect from your sleep tracker will help you narrow down your options. If you want a sleep and health or fitness tracker, opt for something like the Oura Ring 3 or Fitbit. If you wish to track sleep and would also enjoy features like lighting and integrated apps, consider the Google Nest Hub.
How does sleep tracking work?
It depends on your sleep tracker, but they primarily use accelerometers to detect movement, heart rate and oxygen saturation levels. Technology has come a long way, and nonwearables use no-contact and low-energy radars to track movement and other environmental factors, such as temperature and light, to detect possible sleep disturbances.
What do sleep trackers measure?
- Sleep phases: Sleep trackers can measure the time you spend in deep sleep, light sleep and REM. Some even sound an alarm at the optimal waking time according to your sleep phases.
- Sleep quality: Sleep trackers measure movement and can tell when you’re sleeping soundly or tossing and turning.
- Amount of sleep: Your sleep tracker can pinpoint your sleep and wake time by tracking your activity (or lack thereof) and, by doing so, calculate your total time spent asleep.
- Sleep disturbances: Some sleep trackers, like those found in mattresses and bedside devices, measure temperature, sound and other external factors that might interfere with sleep quality.
- Time spent in deep sleep and REM
- Sleep duration
- Heart rate
- Blood-oxygen levels
- Breathing patterns
- Temperature and light disturbances (if applicable)
While sleep tracking isn’t a sure-fire remedy for curing poor sleep, it can offer insights into your sleep stages, possible disturbances that are keeping you awake and lifestyle habits so you’re more informed on your own sleeping patterns and what you may be able to change to improve sleep quality. You can also share your results with a doctor who can work with you to improve sleep hygiene and overall quality.
Wearable sleep trackers use heart rate, blood oxygen and motion sensors to measure key indicators of your sleeping stages and patterns. Non-wearables rely on motion sensors and low-energy radar to track movement, breathing and environmental changes like temperature and light.
Sleep trackers collect this data to provide valuable insight into sleep duration, sleep quality, how long you spend in certain sleep stages and potential explanations behind sleep disruptions.
