Understanding Your Sleep Data
Sleep tracking is one of your HLTH Band's main features. Here's what your sleep data means and how to use it to improve your rest.
How Your Band Tracks Sleep
Your band automatically detects when you fall asleep and wake up by tracking changes in your movement and heart rate. There's nothing to press or set up. Just wear your band to bed.
Your sleep is then split into stages using a combination of movement and heart rate variability (HRV).
Where to Find Your Sleep Data
Open the QWatch Pro app and go to the Sleep section. You'll see:
- Your total sleep time
- Time spent in each sleep stage: deep, light, REM and awake
- Your deep sleep continuity score
Good to know:
- Naps are shown separately. The app records naps in their own category, and they aren't added to your total sleep time.
- Sleep is tracked overnight. If you work nights or sleep during the day, your daytime sleep may not be recorded as a full night's sleep.
- Apple Health: On iPhone, your sleep data can sync from QWatch Pro to Apple Health.
Sleep Stages Explained
Deep sleep: Supports physical recovery, including tissue repair and immune function.
Light sleep: The stage you spend most of the night in, moving between the other stages. Around half of your sleep is usually light sleep, and this is normal.
REM sleep: Supports memory, learning and mental recovery. This is when most dreaming happens.
Awake: Brief awakenings during the night are normal. Most people wake several times a night without remembering it.
How much deep sleep is normal?
The QWatch Pro app uses a reference range of 20–60% for deep sleep. In practice, most adults spend less time than this in deep sleep, typically around 13–23% of the night, and deep sleep naturally decreases with age. So if your deep sleep is below the app's range, that's common and isn't a cause for concern on its own. Look at how your deep sleep changes over time instead.
What Does a Good Night's Sleep Look Like?
There's no single perfect sleep pattern. It varies from person to person and changes with age. Some general signs of good sleep include:
- Enough total sleep: most adults need 7 to 9 hours
- A consistent amount of deep sleep compared with your usual nights
- Some REM sleep each night
- No long periods awake: brief awakenings are normal, but long or frequent ones can affect how rested you feel
Your Deep Sleep Continuity Score
The app shows a deep sleep continuity score, which reflects how uninterrupted your deep sleep was, not just how much you got. Deep sleep that's broken up is less restful than deep sleep in longer, unbroken periods.
What Affects Your Sleep?
Things that can help:
- Going to bed and waking up at the same times each day, including weekends
- A cool, dark bedroom
- Avoiding screens for 30 to 60 minutes before bed
- Regular exercise, but not too close to bedtime
- Avoiding caffeine from the early afternoon
Things that can disrupt it:
- Alcohol, which reduces REM sleep even though it can make you fall asleep faster
- Eating late at night
- An irregular sleep schedule
- Stress
- Screen use before bed
How to Use Your Sleep Data
Look for patterns over several nights rather than focusing on one. One bad night doesn't tell you much, but patterns over time do.
Some things you might notice:
- Does your sleep look different on nights you drink alcohol?
- Is your resting heart rate higher after nights with less sleep?
- Does your HRV the next morning reflect how well you slept?
- Do you tend to wake up at similar times during the night?
Looking at your sleep alongside your HRV and stress data gives you the fullest picture of your recovery.
Tip: Get a Good Fit at Night
For accurate sleep tracking, your band needs to stay in good contact with your skin all night. If you wear it loosely during the day, tighten it slightly before bed, but not so much that it's uncomfortable.
Important
Your band's sleep data is designed for everyday wellness tracking. It isn't a clinical sleep study and can't diagnose sleep disorders. If you have ongoing concerns about your sleep, speak to a healthcare professional.
Still have questions? Email us at info@hlthtrack.com.