Smart watches now offer many of the same apps and functions that smartphones and tablets provide. One of the biggest benefits of wearing a smart watch is that you can use it to help improve your quality of sleep. Many people overestimate or underestimate the amount of sleep they get, but wearing a smart watch gives you better information about how much you sleep and how deeply you sleep. Here are some reasons why you should consider wearing a smart watch.
Tracking Your Sleep
If you’ve noticed that you have a tough time falling asleep or staying asleep, you’re not alone. More than one-third of American adults are sleep-deprived. You might think you’re getting enough sleep, but you might not be reaching the deep stage of sleep that re-energizes your body. Wearing a smart watch makes it easy to track your sleep. The watches either come with a sleep app loaded or allow you to download the app of your choice for tracking your sleep.
If you choose an Apple smart watch, keep in mind that the short battery life of about 24 hours means that you’ll have to take it off in order to charge it. This could interfere with tracking your sleep. If you do prefer an Apple watch, consider using a sleep tracking app that doesn’t require you to wear the watch all night. Another option is to charge the watch during your non-sleeping hours, such as when you’re relaxing in the evening and watching a show.
Choosing Apps
If you want to track your sleep with your smart watch, there are a few options. Apple watches come with a sleep tracker that’s already loaded. It’s called Auto Sleep. Some other sleep tracking apps for Apple include Sleepzy, Pillow and Sleep Watch.
If you don’t wear the watch while sleeping, it transmits data to your iPhone about how long you slept. You just need to tap the app and tell it you’re going to bed. If you do wear the watch while you sleep, Auto Sleep collects your heart rate and other information. You can then go into the app through your watch or iPhone and see your sleep cycle information.
Auto Sleep can tell you how deeply you slept, how many sleep cycles you completed and the quality of your sleep. You could also use Withings Sleep, which has a mat for under your mattress and an app for your smartphone or watch. Use these apps for optimizing your bedtime for the best quality and quantity of sleep.
Sync With Your Phone
Another reason to wear a smart watch is that you can sync it with your phone. If you want to take advantage of the convenience of synced features, you’ll need to stay within the same product line. If you have an iPhone, stick with the Apple smart watch. If you use an Android device, choose a smart watch that’s compatible with your phone’s operating system.
Being able to sync your smart watch with your phone allows you to do more with the apps and features. For example, the sleep tracking apps would allow you to wear the watch for collecting data and use your phone for analyzing your sleep data.
