Achieving restful sleep goes beyond mere hours in bed. Dr. Conor Heneghan, a senior staff research scientist at Google’s consumer health research team, notes that people are often inaccurate judges of their sleep duration and quality. Utilizing wearables like Fitbit, equipped with heart rate sensors, can provide valuable insights.
Devices such as the Charge 6 or Pixel Watch 2 monitor your heart rate during sleep, gathering data on your Fitbit app for better self-awareness. Your heart rate serves as a crucial metric for various insights available within the Fitbit app, including Sleep Insights, Sleep Stages, and Sleep Score, as well as Daily Readiness and Sleep Profile for Fitbit Premium members. Analyzing this data helps you evaluate the quality, not just the duration, of your sleep. By observing patterns, you can identify areas for improvement in your sleep hygiene, such as managing stress, moderating alcohol intake, or avoiding late-night exercise, according to Dr. Heneghan.
For those seeking solutions for sleep disturbances and morning grogginess, here are three reasons to begin monitoring your heart rate during sleep.
1. Determine the Quality of Deep Sleep
During sleep, the body transitions through various stages—light, deep, and rapid eye movement (REM)—and the time spent in each stage impacts sleep quality. Dr. Heneghan suggests aiming for 15-20% of deep sleep for morning refreshment. Use the Sleep Stages feature on the Fitbit app to assess your nightly sleep stage distribution.
2. Evaluate Overall Sleep Restoration
Fluctuations in heart rate during sleep can indicate the restorative nature of your rest. Lower heart rates throughout the night suggest deep, restorative sleep essential for bodily repair, growth, and brain function support. Dr. Heneghan recommends comparing your morning resting heart rate with your nocturnal heart rate to assess restorativeness. Consistent, low heart rates during deep sleep periods indicate quality rest, while elevated or fluctuating heart rates signal potential restlessness and diminished restoration. Fitbit Premium users can also review their Restoration Score on the app for further insights.
