A good night’s sleep is difficult to come by these days, whether it’s due to snoring, insomnia, or sleep apnea. Many people are desperately looking for the most effective tool to monitor sleep, such as apps for sleep tracking and sleep bracelets.
Luckily, technology can help improve your sleep. Sleep tracker apps analyze your sounds, movements, and sleep habits as you sleep to give you a simple picture of how long and how well you slept.
5 Best Apps For Sleep Tracking
- ShutEye
- Sleep Cycle
- Pillow
- Prime Sleep Recorder
- AutoSleep
These applications will also assist you in determining how many times you are awakened during the night and identify conditions of sleep-related disorders. That’s why we would like to share with you 5 of the best apps for tracking your sleep.
Key Takeaways
- Determine why you want to track your sleep. Whether it’s for monitoring snoring, insomnia, sleep apnea, or simply improving your sleep quality, choose an app that aligns with your goals.
- Look for apps that offer features such as sleep duration, sleep quality analysis, sleep phases monitoring, and the ability to record environmental and lifestyle factors that can affect sleep.
- Consider the compatibility of the app with your device. Some apps are available for both Android and iOS, while others are limited to one platform.
- Check for the accuracy of the sleep tracking. Review user feedback and any information provided by the app’s developers to ensure its reliability.
Do sleep tracking apps really work?
“The tracker will give you something to reflect on,” says Alan Schwartz, M.D.director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center – often with user-friendly graphs or reports that make it easy to spot trends.
Typically, you view the collected sleep data in an app. The report includes total sleep time, how often you wake up in the night, and what times you wake up. Some devices also include a summary of your sleep stages — light sleep versus deep sleep.
Sleep trackers are accurate at tracking total sleep time, so you can feel fairly confident about using a sleep tracker to determine whether you’re getting the recommended amount of sleep at night.
What is the best free sleep tracking app?
Sleep Tracking App | Why We Chose It? | App Store Rating |
ShutEye | Best overall & most accurate | 4.8/5 |
Sleep Cycle | Smart Alarm | 4.7/5 |
Pillow | Apple Watch compatible | 4.3/5 |
Prime Sleep Recorder | Track sleep with Apple Watch | 4.7/5 |
AutoSleep | Monitor sleep recording | 4.5/5 |
1. ShutEye: Sleep Tracker, Sounds
ShutEye recognizes, calculates, and analyzes the files recorded by the microphone through artificial intelligence algorithms to produce your sleep status information. The more times you use ShutEye to record your sleep, the better accuracy you will get! Machine learning, you know.
In order to verify ShutEye’s accuracy, they have performed dozens of tests to compare ShutEye against popular competitors and smart hardware. Results showed that ShutEye’s accuracy was in the top 90th percentile.
This is the app for you if you’re having trouble easing into a restful sleep. ShutEye can create a comfortable sleep space with ambient sounds and bedtime stories, wake up gently with the smart alarm, and learn about your sleep by checking the sleep tracker.
The accuracy of the tracker is impressive, and you can even mix your own sleep sounds. The only downside of ShutEye is that this app is only available on IOS. ShutEye is easily one of the best apps for sleep tracking.
App Store Rating: 4.8/5
Download ShutEye for Android and iOS.
2. Sleep Cycle – Sleep Tracker
Sleep Cycle analyzes audio recordings of snoring and talking to provide a condensed view of sleep patterns. This app graphically monitors your sleep cycle and overlays audio recordings to help you figure out what’s going on during different stages of sleep.
However, Sleep Cycle’s premium features are very pricey, and the sleep aid sound isn’t as broad as other apps like ShutEye.
App Store Rating: 4.7/5
Google Play Rating: 4.6
3. Pillow: Sleep Cycle Tracker
The Pillow app is Apple Watch compatible. It can also be used manually. We liked that this app allows you to record audio as you sleep, which is useful for those who think snoring or talking in their sleep is interfering with their sleep pattern. A sleep cycle diagram and a heart rate analysis are used in the sleep analysis.
Unfortunately, this app is only available for Apple’s iOS operating system. Some of the features are also unavailable without matching with an Apple Watch.
App Store Rating: 4.3/5
Download for iOS.
4. AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch
This app will keep track of your sleep and provide you with valuable data and charts analyzing the duration and consistency of your sleep. It tracks your sleep based on movement, much like other sleep apps, and can be used for nighttime sleep.
However, this app lacks the sleep sounds feature that can assist you in falling asleep quickly. Unlike its rivals, this app does not have any free functionality for users who want to give it a try before deciding whether or not to purchase the paid features.
App Store Rating: 4.7/5
Download for iOS.
5. Prime Sleep Recorder
Prime sleep recorder analyzes your sleep and gives you detailed information about your sleeping habits. The app tracks your movements during the night and displays personalized data about your sleep cycles in easy-to-understand charts.
But, this app lacks a lot of the functionalities other apps offer, such as sleep aid sounds and sleep tips. Besides, the user interface is not the easiest to use compared with other similar apps.
App Store Rating: 4.5/5
Download for iOS.
How does sleep tracker work?
Features of sleep tracking apps vary, but some common capabilities include:
1. Sleep duration
By tracking the time you’re inactive, the devices can record when you fall asleep at night and when you stir in the morning.
2. Sleep quality
Trackers can detect interrupted sleep, letting you know when you’re tossing and turning or waking during the night.
3. Sleep phases
Some tracking systems track the phases of your sleep and time your alarm to go off during a period when you’re sleeping less deeply. In theory, that makes it easier for you to rouse.
4. Environmental factors
Some devices record environmental factors like the amount of light or temperature in your bedroom.
5. Lifestyle factors
Some trackers prompt you to enter information about activities that can affect sleep, such as how much caffeine you’ve had, when you’ve eaten, or whether your stress level is high.
Can you track sleep without a watch?
Yes, most of the apps for sleep tracking could track sleep without a watch.
The best apps for sleep tracking should be useable with or without a wearable device and have measurable data on how long and how well you slept. That’s why we looked at a variety of sleep tracker apps to find the best ones for identifying problems and improving sleep quality.
Anyone wanting to monitor their sleep and create a plan to improve it can use the apps mentioned in our article. We hope you will have better sleep quality in the future.
You may also like:
6 Best Sleep Talk Recording App for Android & iOS
10+ Best Sleep Trackers and Apps in 2022
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any sleep apps that can help me improve my sleep?
Yes, there are many sleep apps available that can help you improve your sleep. These apps use advanced algorithms to monitor your sleep patterns and provide personalized suggestions for better sleep hygiene.
Can sleep-tracking apps really monitor my sleep accurately?
Sleep-tracking apps use sensors and algorithms to monitor your sleep patterns. While they may not be as accurate as professional sleep studies, they can still provide valuable insights into your sleep quality and help you make improvements.
What features should I look for in a sleep-tracking app?
When choosing a sleep-tracking app, look for features such as sleep score, sleep goals, sleep coaching, and detailed sleep reports. Also, check if the app is compatible with your device and offers integration with other health and fitness apps.
How can a sleep-tracking app help me improve my sleep?
A sleep-tracking app can help you monitor your sleep patterns, identify any sleep problems, and provide personalized sleep advice. By tracking your sleep over time, you can make adjustments to your sleep routine and improve the quality of your sleep.
Can a sleep-tracking app also monitor my sleep environment?
Some advanced sleep-tracking apps can monitor your sleep environment by using additional sensors or by analyzing data from your smartphone’s built-in sensors. These apps can provide recommendations on creating a more conducive sleep environment.