Nowadays, the day-to-day hustle and bustle and other factors have made many individuals to experience different sleeping problems. However, the advent of technology has ushered in the possibility of sleep tracking. With the aid of sleep tracking, you can analyze the time spent in different stages of sleep, keep track of your potential sleep problems, such as snoring, and improve your overall sleep habits. Furthermore, there are a handful of sleep trackers available in the market that you can choose from.

To get the best out of your sleep tracker, it is important for you to understand how it works. Foremost, various sleep trackers use different mechanisms to track your sleep.

• Actigraphy

This method works by tracking the activity cycles/human rest. The bodily movement is measured and recorded by the sleep tracker to get important information about the natural sleep condition of the individual.

• Electroencephalogram (EEG)

This tracking mechanism involves monitoring the brain activity to accurately keep track of sleep. This method is one of the most commonly used mechanisms for monitoring sleep.

• Heart rate

Another method is monitoring of the heart rate. The heart rate is monitored with optical sensors, non-contact sensors, and bio-impedance sensors. The major benefit of this method is that it is possible to get essential information about different stages of sleep such as REM, deep sleep, and light sleep.

Using a sleep tracker

If you would like to track your sleep with the aid of a sleep tracker, you must choose the right tool. There is a wide range of sleep trackers available with each having its unique features, pros, and cons.

Phone-compatible sleep tracking apps

If you have an iPhone or Android smartphone, the simplest and cheapest way to start tracking your sleep is by downloading a compatible app. There are various sleep tracking apps on the app stores of these devices. Some of these apps are free while the paid ones are relatively cheap. Without purchasing any specialized hardware, the app utilizes the accelerometer on the smartphone to monitor your motion while sleeping in the night.

Wearable devices

We have lots of multifunctional wearable devices that are capable of measuring different vital metrics including heart rate, sleep, calorie intake, and so on. So, to track your sleep as well as general wellbeing, you can use these wearables. Generally, these wearable devices are usually costlier than smartphone apps.

• Smart rings

The technology utilizes miniaturization and battery technology to track sleep. All you have to do is to wear this smart ring on your finger and the device will monitor your sleep at night.

• Fitness bracelets

Fitness bracelets are one of the commonest and biggest wearable devices that are used for tracking health and fitness activities including sleep. A few of these fitness bracelets measure sleep with the aid of an accelerometer sensor and optical heart-rate sensors.

• Smartwatches

Worn around the wrist, smartwatches are capable of doing a wide range of activities such as receiving calls, monitoring your sleep, and tracking your health. LTE and GPS are some of the connectivity that these watches usually have.

Other sleep trackers include non-wearable sleep trackers.

Would you like to improve your health by tracking your sleep and improving your sleep patterns and habits? If yes, read more about the best sleep trackers that suit your specific needs.