We live in a culture obsessed with numbers: Number of steps, number of calories burned, and number of hours slept.
How do sleep trackers measure sleep? Sleep trackers come in a variety of forms: Smart beds, wearables, and even the Nest Hub’s Sleep Sensing feature. Despite this variety, most operate through a combination of similar features: An accelerometer to track movement, heart rate sensors to track heartbeats, and sometimes temperature sensors.
Nest works slightly differently. While physical contact with a sensor is one way to gather data, it’s not the only way. Your body reflects its internal processes on the surface of your skin. Have you ever been anxious and felt your heart pounding in your chest? The heart itself is a muscle, and each beat sends percussive waves through the body. Even when calm, these waves are detectable with the right equipment.
How accurate are sleep trackers? Not every sleep tracker works on the same algorithm, so accuracy can vary. You also have to consider the human factor; even in sleep clinics where you are connected to medical-grade polysomnographic technology, accuracy tops out around 95%. The differences between individual people accounts for the 5% gap, making it impossible to declare a definitive proper way to sleep.
Bear in mind that sleep trackers aren’t meant for diagnostic purposes. A doctor isn’t going to use your Fitbit data to diagnose any sleep disorder. The value of these trackers lies in their ability to provide you with personalized data on your body’s patterns and habits.
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