Technology Wearable Sleep Technology and How It Works 8/25/2021 | By Kari Smith Sleep is a vital part of health and wellness. But it’s not always easy to get enough of it – or good enough quality. But wearable sleep technology can help monitor your sleeping patterns, and help create better habits for a refreshing night of Z’s. When you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you are, of course, tired the next day. But being sleepy is perhaps the least of your worries. Lack of sleep can lead to exhaustion, irritability, weight gain, lowered immunity, and many other serious health issues. Why? Sleep is a critical function of our body. During the time we are asleep, our body rests, revitalizes, and heals itself. It may be important to discover the causes of poor sleep. After ruling out or treating any medical issues that your doctor or sleep specialist discovers, you may be left with the task of simply staying on task with a steady sleep schedule. Wearable sleep devices are ideal, since the technology is always there (on your body) when you need it, and pre-set routines and reminders take the place of needing to remember. These technologies can be a huge help in figuring out what your habits are, then keeping you on track to create new ones. Apple Watch Take the water-resistant Apple Watch, for instance. The watch is equipped with a dedicated Sleep App within which you can create a schedule to make you aware of what your sleep habits are and set sleep goals. Wear the watch to bed, and it tracks your sleep and then lets you know how much you have slept the night before – and over the last 14 days. You can even create a dedicated weekend schedule if you are able to sleep in on the weekends or have a different weekend routine. The app allows you to set a goal for how many hours you want to sleep, then will prompt you to go bed, or sound an alarm to wake you up. The sleep mode ensures that your phone notifications (such as texts, incoming calls, etc.) are silenced after your bed time so that you are not woken or distracted. Tracking sleep with sleep gadgets is a great way to really understand how much you have been sleeping – you may be surprised at how little sleep you are actually getting. Fitbit The Fitbit works similarly by using heart rate sensors and motion detectors to track your sleep. Similar to the Apple Watch, this wearable sleep technology tracks your night and shows you trends of how you have been sleeping; it also lets you set goals for sleep habits. Its silent alarm feature sets an alarm that wakes you by vibrating on your wrist. This may be a calmer and less jarring way of waking for some. If you have flexibility in your wake time, its Smart Wake technology can wake you during an optimal stage of sleep. This technology goes further – it tracks your light, deep, and REM sleep, which can be beneficial in discovering why time spent asleep doesn’t seem to be restful. Its handy notifications alert you of bedtime and help you stay on track with getting to bed at a consistent time. WHOOP The WHOOP strap technology (which is worn like a watch) is one of the best sleep gadgets; it measures your time spent sleeping, as well as what stages of sleep by category. It will tell you your time in bed, the number of “disturbances” you experienced, and how efficient your sleep is; it also tells you your respiratory rate. In addition to the number of hours you have slept, it will also tell you how many hours you need to sleep. There are other options that feature many of these same benefits, so it may be work shopping around to figure out which wearable sleep technology best meets your specific goals and is in your particular price range. Given that we spend a third of our lives sleeping – and the other two thirds being affected how much sleep we got – it may be a worthwhile investment! Read More Kari Smith Kari Smith is a frequent contributor to Seniors Guide, helping to keep those in the senior industry informed and up-to-date. She's a Virginia native whose love of writing began as a songwriter recording her own music. In addition to teaching music and performing in the Richmond area, Kari also enjoys riding horses and farming.