Fighting Insomnia? Here are the 10 BEST Sleep Trackers in 2017

TRUTH be told, a good night’s sleep is getting hard to come by these days thanks to stressful schedules, insomnia, the difficulties of parenting or even medical conditions such as sleep apnea. Not to mention other issues such as snoring relatives and children screaming in the wee hours of the night when sleep is at its sweetest. In fact, it was only recently that a colleague aptly observed – tongue in cheek – that it was easier in 2016 to make money and enemies than to enjoy a good night’s rest. I don’t blame him. He’s always the last one to leave the office and always has a fat paycheck to show for it.

Most Frequently Asked Questions about Sleep Trackers

Technology is proving to be quite the cure-all, isn’t it? I mean, we not only have sleep inducing applications but also loads that combat snoring as well. But however you ‘trick’ your brain into some sort of a shut eye, have you ever stopped and thought about the quality of sleep that you get every day? Or is it at night? OK, you get the drift.

Enter the Best Sleep Trackers

Sleep trackers analyze your sleeping patterns and habits. Additionally, they tell you when you get enough sleep, what type of sleep you get and when you need more. Sleep affects your memory, mood, and health; sleep trackers can help you achieve maximum health while giving you an idea of what happens when you’re asleep.

So where can I get a ‘sleep tracker‘?

Below are the top 10 best sleep trackers in 2017 that are worth talking about

1. Jawbone UP3

After its release, the Jawbone UP3 received some bad reviews. However, the good thing about technological devices is there is always room for upgrading. And the company did just that in September 2016. This sleep tracking device now at the forefront of the sleep tracker industry. The Jawbone UP3 has a subtle design that makes it look like a stylish bracelet; this design has won over the hearts of many people due to the fact that it can be worn comfortably throughout the night.

This device takes care of all the things you would like to know about yourself while asleep. It measures your breathing rate, galvanic skin response, heart rate and body temperature. All this is made possible by its advanced sensors and features like bioimpedance. These sensors have the ability to build a picture of your sleep and collect data that may be essential to helping you get a good rest. The Jawbone UP3 assesses time spent awake, as well as in light and deep sleep.

What if you are a sleepwalker? Well, the Jawbone UP3 also measures steps taken, distance traveled and calories burnt. What’s more, it has a battery life of up to 7 days, and recharging is never an issue as it only takes a couple of hours to recharge, which you can do during the day.

Most people shy away from fancy gizmos like sleep trackers because they think they are hard to use, not the Jawbone UP3. It is easy to use and contains helpful and modified sleep coaching tips that can help you improve your sleep. However, unlike some sleep tracking devices, the Jawbone UP3 has no screen display. Yes, it is very accurate in its sleep assessment, but if your preference is a fitness tracker with a screen display, then the Jawbone UP3 is not ideal for you. Nonetheless, what it lacks in display it more than makes up for with the most detailed and accurate information about your sleep.

The Jawbone Up3 goes for $110.99.

2. Sleepace Nox

Sleepace, one of the first companies to launch a sleep tracker 2 years ago called the Sleepace Reston, brings us and improved version with The Nox.

This device surprised many people after the company publicly announced that they had used medical grade sensors in the device. And the feature makes it one of the few dedicated sleep trackers currently in the market. You may want to record your sleeping pattern but find having something on your wrist pretty uncomfortable. I know I do, it takes some time to get used to the wristband type of sleep trackers. Not to worry, meet the Sleepace Nox, a device that does not need to be on your wrist to collect your sleeping data.

The Sleepace Nox has a flat, long belt that comfortably sits under your bed sheet or mattress protector. This keeps it in place while the end piece, which has all the technical bits, clips onto your sheets using magnets. Ideally, you may toss and turn all you want, but it will not move, it will just record all those as part of your sleeping patterns. This tracker measures more than your usual sleep trackers. It measures the quantity of light, time awake, mid/deep sleep, the number of times you woke up, time asleep and times you turned over in bed or got out of it.

Additionally, it also has sleep coaching tips, a fantastic interface, excellent battery life and its design ensures it does not disturb you while you sleep. However, if you move about a lot in bed, the device can slip out of position. Also, unlike some devices, it does not sense when you go to sleep or wake up, so you have to feed these details in manually. Another con to it is it is ideal for you if you sleep alone, more than one person in the bed ends up skewing the bed.

This device goes for $149.99.

3. Withings Aura Smart System

Now this is the ideal sleep tracking device anyone would desire to have. Reason being, it goes an extra mile than just tracking your sleep pattern and habits. The Withings Aura Smart System has a light and sound unit to help you fall asleep and wake up better. I mean, this device will sing a lullaby for you, monitor your sleep and wake you up just right. I know you’re thinking, a lullaby? Really? Well, believe it or not, the primary aim of this device is to make sure you get to sleep, sleep well and wake well.

Unlike some sleep trackers that come all in one, the Withings Aura Smart System has three main components. A light and sound machine sit on your bedside table right next to the App that contains all the results recorded by the third element, which is recorded by a strap that you sleep on to record your movement.

So unlike some sleep trackers that can track activity for the day, the Withings Aura Smart Sleep System is solely reserved for your bedroom. To help you sleep and wake up well, the unit by the bedside plays music on a timer. To induce sleep, melatonin production is triggered by a fading glowing light on a timer emitted by the bedside unit. The hormone is responsible for your body clock’s functioning. The tracker also monitors your heart and breathing rate, time spent in light/deep and REM sleep as well as time turbulent and time awake.

Additionally, environmental sensors monitor the room temperature, noise, and light and let you know if any of them affected your sleep.

The Aura Smart Sleep System goes for $299.95.

4. ResMed S+

For most people, a sleep tracker has to, at least, have contact with you or your bed for accurate information concerning your sleep. What if there was a sleep tracker that could give specific information about your sleep with absolutely no contact with you or your bed? It would need to have highly advanced sensors to deliver accurate information let alone provide any information. Such a sleep tracker is the ResMed S+. This tracker detects your body movements through the night so as to determine your sleep pattern.

It has advanced sensors that sense noise, motion, light, breathing and the temperature in your bedroom. The essence of detecting these environmental occurrences is to find out their effect on your sleep, which the ResMed S+ does so effectively. Just like the other sleep trackers discussed above, the ResMed S+ also detects your light and deep sleep as well as your REM cycles and the times you wake up. All this aids the device in coming up with information that eases finding a score for your sleep.

Just like the Aura Smart Sleep System, the ResMed S+ also plays soothing sounds to enable you to fall asleep faster. However, it is different from the former as it merges the rhythm of the sounds it produces to your breathing pace and slows down as you enter into slumber land. This tracker doesn’t stop at just singing sweet songs for you before you sleep, no, it uses its App merged to your Smartphone to get interactive with you. Do not get too excited, they are just pre-installed question not the artificial intelligence to human or vice versa type of interaction.

The ResMed S+ goes for $ 149.

5. iHealth Wireless Sleep Tracker

iHealth is among the leading fitness App producing companies in the world. They have not disappointed concerning sleep trackers as well. The beautiful thing about this device though is its price; you can have your iHealth Wireless Sleep Tracker for just $22.96. This is arguably the cheapest sleep tracker in the market right now. So if you are doubtful about sleep trackers and do not want to splash your cash on one that might end up disappointing you, you can start at this time. Now you may think because it is arguably cheap; its features are limited. They are not; the iHealth Wireless Sleep Tracker uses a three-axis accelerometer to track motion throughout the night.

Compared to some sensors that some sleep trackers have, this feature may seem minuscule but it does the job effectively. Moreover, it tracks your activity level, sleep efficiency, times you woke up at night, and the times without movement all through the night as well as calories burnt based on your weight, height, and age. However, without a heart rate tracker, it can only track your sleep time based on your movement. The sleep tracker is sweat proof, water resistant, and splash proof and comes with an interchangeable wristband.

6. Beddit Smart 3.0

I recall a friend had a kidney and heart problem not long ago. The doctors always used to runs tests on her, but one that stood out was ballistocardiography or BCG. This test shows your heart condition thereby aiding in proper diagnosis in case something is wrong. Now imagine a sleep tracker that has such a feature and seamlessly provides data on your respiration and heart rates as well as your duration of sleep and sleep quality. The new generation Beddit Smart sleep tracker uses its ultra-thin sensor to perform all these functions.

The sensor is tucked under your bed sheets, you do not need to tell manually the Beddit 3.0 that you are going to sleep, it senses it the moment you fall asleep. The sensor uses Bluetooth Low Energy to connect to your Smartphone which collects all the data it gathers throughout the night. This connection happens automatically whenever your Smartphone is in range, so it is advisable to have your phone by your bedside if you are using the Beddit 3.0. The Beddit 3.0 also performs other functions such as tracking the times you woke up at night, how long you slept and low as well as deep sleep intervals.

This sleep tracker can be found at fitness shops, Amazon and the Beddit website, beddit.com at just $149.99. The Beddit 2.0 may not be the best sleep tracker there is, but it is the most convenient if you wish you access your sleep progress throughout the day, which is recorded on your Smartphone.

7. Basis Peak

All along, technological advancements have been most felt in the mobile phone industry with the introduction of smartphones. Well, say hello to one of the smart watches in the market right now, the basis peak sleep tracker. You can associate this sleep tracker with style and elegance as it looks modern and stylish, given the fact that it is a smart watch; you would expect that. What’s even better, this tracker is one of the most robustly designed sleep trackers but somehow manages to remain slim and light.

The Basis Peak sleep tracker has accurate and automatic sleep monitoring. Its sensors enable it to measure light, deep and REM sleep in addition to the times you were restless in your sleep and those that you sleep peacefully. It also tracks your galvanic skin response and temperature as well as constant heart rate monitoring to help provide proper sleep tracking analysis. In addition to being a sleep tracking device, the Basis Peak can also be used for other activities during the day although its best function is sleep tracking. It is waterproof and has an excellent battery life.

Additionally, the Basis Peak has massive tracking data available on a mobile App and even more on a separate online App. This tracker may not be as impressive as some of the trackers discussed above, but it provides the most accurate information concerning sleep. The best sleep trackers are not usually the ones that look elegant on your wrist if they are wearable, but the ones that can match their looks to their performance. Such a sleep tracker is the Basis Peak. It goes for $149.99 and can be found at fitness stores or online at amazon.com.

8. Misfit Shine

It is wise to assume that all sleep trackers are either worn on the wrist or tucked under the bed sheets. That would be a wrong conclusion; the Misfit Shine is among those sleep trackers that defy this notion. This sleep tracker is small, about the size of a coin and has straps tied to it to make it look like a necklace. The funny part is, it actually can be worn as a necklace, and it will perform exceptionally. The tracker seems very simple and has no elegant design or display. You can clip it to your clothing, wear it as a necklace as stated earlier or wear it around your wrist.

That is not all the company has done, in its quest to ensure the sleep tracker is handled correctly, the company designed shirts and socks with tiny pockets where you can slip the sleep tracker. This device monitors light, deep and REM sleep, total time asleep, times you woke up and movement while sleeping. What’s better, it automatically knows when you fall asleep, so you do not need to feed the information manually. This feature is excellent as sometimes it is very hard to say you’re going to sleep and fall asleep immediately.

The devices syncs with Android and iOS devices making it possible for you to not only view your sleep status reports but giving you the ability to share them with your friends or loved ones as well. The misfit shine goes for $99 and can be found in fitness shops and amazon.com.

9. Fitbit One

Most people associate Fitbit with expensive tech. Although they may be right to some extent, it is products such as the Fitbit One that defy this notion. This tracker is small and discreet, in fact, you do not need to wear it; all you have to do is clip it on your clothing. Alternatively, you can pop the inner piece into a wrist strap to have it comfortably wrapped around your wrist. The Fitbit one does not get into much detail about your sleep as most sleep trackers; it just tells you how long you were asleep when you woke up and for how long.

Detailed functioning may be what you are looking for if you need a tracker that tells you how long you slept, when you woke and for how long, then the Fitbit One is the ideal sleep tracker for you. This tracker can also sync with a broad range of smartphones and syncs automatically with your computer whenever it is in range. Also, like some of the devices discussed, the Fitbit One has a very helpful App that has suggestions on how to improve your sleep rate. Despite having an old-fashioned pedometer design, the Fitbit One is among the most effective sleep trackers of its time.

The Fitbit One goes for $ 93.99 at the Fitbit store online, fitness shops and amazon.com.

10. Sense

Sense is another sleep tracker that does not require contact with you so as to perform its duties. It operates by clipping it onto your pillow; it has two units; one to record the data and the other to process it. The pill unit under the pillow is the one that records the data about the movement you make at night as the other unit processes this information. After receiving the information, the other processing half of Sense assembles it together with ambient light, noise, temperature and other factors that might be affecting you in your sleep thereby affecting your sleep.

The reason behind this feature that collects all this data is to enable Sense to figure out what you need to change to have a good night sleep. After evaluation, Sense will tell you that the temperature usually rises to a certain degree and what causes it, this affects your sleep in this and this way. You might opt for slimmer curtains or turn down the radiators in case of noises from the radiators deprive you of sleep. This amazing device is available for $129.

11. Sleepace Reston Z400T

The Sleepace Reston Z400T is a worthy candidate if you sleep alone. The pros certainly outweigh the cons on this design-strong device. This is not a wearable. Instead, you place its sensors under the bed and let it do all the heavy lifting while you get some shut eye. But your first order of business will be letting it know when you are going to sleep. And yes, that can be a bit of a drawback to the Reston. It doesn’t automatically detect when you are sleeping.

But turning it on and off aside, the Reston uses a huge vocabulary of sleep tracking methods to get your sleep to the next level of greatness. It’s sleep monitor separates your heart rate and your respiratory rate into two completely separate neighborhoods. The prevalent thinking here is that good heart rate doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t snore or have irregular breathing habits while you sleep for instance. And vice versa; you could be breathing quite peacefully while you sleep and have an irregular heart rate.

Then the Reston takes on environmental factors to better understand if your sleeping conditions are the main culprit behind your restless nights. Temperature and humidity also have their own real estate in the sleep tracker’s list of analytical portals. The Reston collects a vast amount of data from this and a host of other factors to identify the DNA of your sleeping habits. Everything from how long it takes to fall asleep to how long you sleep then are added with these data to configure a better restful night.

Here’s where the Reston separates itself from the pack. No, it is not a wearable. So you won’t be going to bed with this on your wrist. And it isn’t a device to be poised on your nightstand either. Instead, it’s a thin device that fits under the sheets in order to best monitor you during the night. That being said, it’s unobtrusive, possibly unnoticeable in your bed.

And as for profound data analysis, the nightstand devices and wearables won’t curate in-depth data relative to sleep apnea for instance. The Reston will. And for that reason, the fine folks at Sleepace boast that it is on par with high grade medically accurate devices. And to keep all of these bells and whistles humming seamlessly, it has a long battery life.

But best of all, you have a personal coach to guide you through to better slept nights. What good would all of that data be if it weren’t put to practical, actionable use?

Now that being said, it isn’t optimized for two people. Or if you move a lot during your sleep, the data may be less than accurate. But those are piddling cons in contrast with its grocery list of positive attributes.

Best Sleep Tracker App for Android

Sleep as Android

You’d be forgiven for thinking this is nothing more than a fancy alarm clock with a built-in sleep cycle tracker, but there’s more to it than meets the eye – the shut-eye, that is. Urbanandroid like to think of it as a ‘sleep lab in your pocket’. This self-proclaimed flagship of sleep tracker apps features binaural sounds inspired from nature, such as whale calls, ocean noises, healing chants, and the crackling fire to induce slumber.

Its most impressive features are: bedtime notification, mattress movement sensor, sleep phase detector, actigraph and hypnogram, wake phase identifier, snoring detector, anti-snoring tune, wake-up smart light, wrist-watch integration, captcha alarm disabler with sleeping sheep, math quiz, phone shaker, QR code or NFC alarm disabler, lifestyle tagging and stats, sleep statistics, patterns, and advice. Pebble, Galaxy Gear, Google Fit, S Health and Android Wear are just some of the compatible smart watches. For only $3.99, you get all this and more, but do bring your own phone and smart watch.

Best Sleep Tracker App for iOS

Sleep Cycle App

Brought to you by Northcube AB, Sleep Cycle is one of those sleep tracker apps you can download from the App Store and Google Play to give you an analysis of your sleep when you wake up. It works with a microphone that picks up on your sleeping and your movements, but it also has an accelerometer in case you tend to doze off before you adjust the mic.

If you don’t want to wake up when it tells you to, make it snooze by tapping on the phone twice or picking it up. There’s an intelligent snooze function, and your snoozes will be gradually shorter until you’re woken up for good. The graphics on it are basic, and its mainstay is the ability to wake you up in your lightest sleep phase so that the transition is gentle. But the app is worth the $0.99 price tag, by all accounts.

Best Fully Built-in Sleep Tracker

Sleep trackers should be heard, not seen. At least that’s what some sleep deprived Mavericks claim. Well, if that’s true, then the following are engineering marvels in their own right. And they are. Or at least that what their IQ says. Confused?

1. Sleep Number

There’s something for everyone with the Sleep Number. This mattress features sensors that trigger it to adjust when you move in bed, to warm your feet, to nudge you if you’re snoring, to track your heart rate using the Sleep IQ biometric sensor, to monitor your breathing pattern and to record your movement.

You can track the changes in the quality of your sleep using the Sleep IQ Score. The bed mattress connects to countless sleep tracking apps and devices to give you insights into what happens when you sleep. Prices start at $699 for the C2 Classic Series, and there are various accessories and bedding options to choose from. There’s a SleepIQ Kids version, as well, with prices starting from $599.

2. Mimo

You may not have thought it, but babies could use a little help falling asleep and keeping to their sleeping schedule sometimes, too. Johnson & Johnson teamed up with Rest Devices to work on this sleep tracking and coaching system that comes in the form of a baby monitor and accompanying app Nod. There are lots of wearables with built-in Mimo technology that you might want to try for yourself. Whether you opt for the sleep suit or the bedding version, Mimo will amaze you with its turtle-shaped sleep tracking gadget discreetly tucked into its dock. It’s got breathing sensors, thermometer, activity, and sleep tracking technology built in.

The app is both a sleep and activity video baby monitor, and it now also works with Nest thermostat products to let you know if the baby’s warm enough. As many of Mimo Baby’s reviewing customers say, $199 is a small price to pay for a good night’s rest, because after all, if the baby sleeps well, so do the parents.

Best Wearable Sleep Tracker

If it’s a wearable, it’s already the best, right? What can be better than having your tracker with you wherever you go? Having one that looks like it’s a spy movie prop, for one. These trackers have the most sensitive sensors and the most reliable stats. If they feel close to your heart, it’s because they are!

1. Motiv Ring

If you like your wearables fashionable, then you’ll love this titanium finished ring that tracks your sleep, steps, calories, heart rate and distance throughout the day. Motiv Ring is waterproof, so you’d do well to take it for a spin around the pool.

With a battery that lasts you for up to 5 days, this could be the kind of Bluetooth-enabled accessory that never goes out of fashion. It comes in two sizes and two color tones, rose gold and slate gray, it’s waterproof up to 5atm, and ultralight, and if you’re not sure you want to spend $199 pre-ordering it, then maybe the interactive ring rotator on the developer’s website will help you reach a decision.

2. Oura Ring

Much like Motiv, Finnish company Oura are basing their offering on the idea that round-the-clock activity and rest data is better than sleep tracking alone. The Oura ring features a sensor that presses gently against the artery in your finger to track heart rate and respiratory rate. The advantage it has over wrist trackers is that the signal in your artery is stronger at the base of your finger than it is at your wrist.

Based on these rates, it will determine Light, deep and REM sleeping stages. Price start at $299 for the Glossy Black and Arctic White Ring and $499 for the Stealth Black ŌURA, so it’s not for everyone.

3. Neuroon Intelligent Sleep Mask

If you have $299 to spare, then you won’t mind spending it on the Neuroon sleep mask, quite possibly the most intelligent one of its kind yet. This award-winning mask gathers heaps of data on your sleeping patterns and then uses light therapy to realign your biorhythm so that you get the most out of your sleep. It can also be used to prevent jet lag, adjusting your own ticker to the timezone of your final destination.

If you like your siestas, then you’ll also like the power nap features and the sunrise simulations it uses to recharge your batteries. Neuroon is aiming it toward shift and night workers, people who work long hours, frequent flyers and people with chronic sleeping problems – which amount to pretty much everyone, really. So, if you like to don the mask as you wake up to see the simulated dawn, then head over to their website.

4. Sleep Shepherd Blue

A Kickstarter funded project that tries mainly to apply the effects of binaural beats to slow down brain activity and induce sleep gradually. A small built-in motherboard is what manages when and how impulses in various wavelengths are sent to your ears. At night, simply put the headband around your head and listen to the sounds it creates.

When you fall asleep, it stops playing the tones and monitors your brain. Whenever it looks like you may be waking up, it turns itself back on and offers a deeper sleeping program. To wake you up, it uses the same technology, but the sounds will be pulsed in reverse order. The duration, phases and head orientation during sleep will be tracked and shown to you the next day.

The headband design means you can move in bed without worrying that you’ll lose the device or your stats. Your movement is recorded using 3-axis accelerometers, and your brain wave activity is monitored with built-in EEG sensors. The accompanying app, like many of the ones discussed above, features a Sleep Lab, a Sleep Score, head orientation record, graphs that show your sleep patterns and trends, average score data, and many other types of information.

There are four personality profiles to choose from before you begin tracking your sleep with the headband. The sleep tracking app is available from the App Store and Google Play in various languages, such as Mandarin, Russian and Arabic, and more features added constantly. The inventor, Michael Larson, whose daughter suffers from a sleep disorder, swears by it.

Best Sleep Tracker Questions and Answers

1. Are sleep trackers reliable?

Yes, they are. People spend approximately 8 hours every day of their lives asleep. Doctors will tell you that 8 hours is the recommended amount of time required for your body to get proper rest.

There are methods that doctors can use in hospitals to know the quality of sleep you get. These include heart rhythm, respiration rate, and muscle activity. These are the same things that sleep trackers make you aware of every morning.

2. Which is the best sleep tracker, one in contact with your body or without contact?

Different sleep trackers have different ways of functioning. Some require contact while some don’t. The best sleep tracker cannot be described as the one that best suits you, rather the one that gives detailed results based on comprehensive data collection throughout the night.

So whether it goes between your sheets or on your wrist while buying a sleep tracker, focus on its specifications.

3. Can I set a sleep goal?

Again, the recommended goal/target is 8 hours per night. However, some sleep trackers can allow you to change your sleep goal to a desired number of hours. It is important to note that our sleep goal success is achieved by the number of hours you spend asleep, not on the bed.

4. How is sleep efficiency calculated?

Sleep efficiency for all sleep trackers is calculated using the following equation; 100 * time asleep / (time asleep + time restless + time awoke during sleep). However, the time it takes for you to fall asleep is not incorporated into the calculation.

5. How does my tracker automatically detect sleep?

Most wrist-based sleep trackers have the feature of automatic detection, as well as some other trackers that are not wrist-based. Movement achieves this. When a person initially falls asleep, they spend a lot of time lying still until they begin turning which may take up to an hour.

Lack of movement does not solely tell it as some people start turning almost immediately, so the tracker detects your movement, movement such as rolling over aids in affirming that you are asleep.

However, you may be not moving yet still awake for extended periods of time; your tracker may falsely record sleep, and in such a case you can always delete the data from your dashboard.

Conclusion