Sleep is a huge part of everyone’s life. Whether you’re a great sleeper, or you struggle to get enough Z’s at night, there’s no denying that sleep can be the difference between a great day, and a terrible one. Because of that, tracking your sleep can be super helpful — not only can it help you find out if you’re getting enough sleep, but it can help you tune your sleep habits to get better sleep.
Of course, there are dozens of sleep trackers out there, and they’re not all created equal. That, however, is why we’ve put together this guide — to help you find a great sleep tracker for your particular situation.
There are a few things to consider when you’re buying a sleep tracker, but perhaps the most important thing to consider is the form-factor of your sleep tracker. Many trackers exist in the form of a fitness tracker that you wear on your wrist — however some can be inserted under your bed sheets, and some even sit underneath the mattress itself.
Fitbit Alta HR
Price: $150
If you’re looking for an excellent sleep tracker that can also double as a fitness tracker for other situations, then the Fitbit Alta HR is an excellent way to go — as long as you’re fine with a wearable tracker.
When it comes to sleep tracking, many consider the Fitbit Alta HR to be one of the more accurate trackers on the market. Not only does the tracker keep a tab on how much sleep you get, but it also uses heart rate data to determine what levels of sleep you’re in during the night. Then, perhaps more importantly it tells you exactly what that data means, and even gives you recommendations on ways to improve your sleep. That’s perhaps the most important thing to consider — what use is sleep data if you don’t know what to do with it?
The Fitbit Alta HR also tracks other things, like workouts and heart rate, making it an excellent choice for those that want an all-around great fitness track.
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SleepScore Max
Price: $149
Perhaps you’re looking for something a little less intrusive while you sleep. Not everyone likes wearing a fitness band at all times, after all. If that’s you, then the SleepScore Max is probably the way to go. The tracker features technology developed by Resmed, and simply sits on your nightstand and tracks your movement during the night — which helps it track the levels of sleep that you’re in at any given moment.
Perhaps the best thing about the SleepScore Max is that it’s great at recommending changes you can make to your routine to improve your sleep. On top of that, the app is pretty well-designed and easy to use — which is always helpful.
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Beautyrest Sleeptracker
Price: $56
For the absolute least intrusive sleep tracker out there, the Beautyrest Sleeptracker is probably the way to go. The device doesn’t need to be worn or even sit on your nightstand — instead, you’ll place it under your entire mattress, where it picks up on subtle movements during the night to detect what stage of sleep you’re in and when you get in and out of bed. One of the nicest things about this sleep tracker is that unlike some of the others on this list, this tracker automatically starts and stops tracking when it detects you get in and out of bed — so you don’t need to worry about doing in manually every night. And, thankfully, it offers insights into your sleep and suggestions on how to improve it.
Another great thing about the Beautyrest Sleeptracker is that it’s inexpensive. At launch, the tracker came in at $200 — but these days it can be found for far cheaper than that.
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Nokia Steel HR
Price: $169+
You might be fine with a wearable tracker, but not a fan of the fitness band style. If that’s the case, then the Nokia Steel HR is an excellent option. It comes in the form of a watch — so it’s sleek and stylish, and should fit right at home no matter what your style.
While the tracker is great at keeping track of all kinds of activities, you’re obviously looking at it for its sleep-tracking features. The device tracks total amount of sleep, how long it took you to fall asleep, your heart rate during the night, the number of times you woke up, and so on. The watch is automatic too — so you don’t need to worry about manually activating sleep tracking like you do some of the others on this list.
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Emfit QS
Price: $225
If you’re looking for the most in-depth sleep tracker out there, then the Emfit QS may be the way to go. The tracker sits underneath your mattress, and as such it’s pretty non-intrusive and care-free once it’s set up — and once placed, it can track heart rate, breathing rate, and even more complicated metrics like HRV. The main downside to the device is that it doesn’t have a dedicated app — though there is a web app that works on both desktop and mobile.
Safe to say, if you’re an athlete that needs in-depth tracking and a wide range of metrics, this may well be the way to go.
Shop Now: Amazon
