Since the rise of the smartwatch — and fitness trackers before it — health tracking has become a primary focus for most of the biggest brands in tech. If you usually rock a wearable paired with your smartphone, there’s a good chance you bought it because of its focus on fitness, and lately, it seems like sleep is at the center of attention. In the last month alone, we’ve seen the Galaxy Watch 6 series launch with some major improvements to charting your bedtime habits, while the biggest game series in the world launched a mobile title dedicated to sleep.
Let’s start there, actually. Pokemon Sleep was a long time coming — the game was originally announced in May of 2019, more than four years before it hit the Play Store — and now that it’s finally here, we found ourselves pretty impressed with it. Fitness gamification is nothing new to Pokemon, but with Sleep, it does feel like the franchise has stumbled into something completely new. And while it’s definitely a title best paired with a (pretty expensive!) wearable, bedside tracking with your phone is totally possible. Just be prepared for some potential fire hazards if you’re keeping your phone under your pillow all night.
That said, Pokemon Sleep is far from perfect — its 2.4 star rating on the Play Store is proof of that. If you want more accurate sleep stats, albeit without any gamification, you’ll need to turn to dedicated fitness trackers or other gadgets. This week, the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic will hit store shelves. Our reviews are forthcoming, but one look at Samsung’s marketing for either product will tell you this generation is placing a huge spotlight on sleep with “Advanced Sleep Coaching.” Paired with new Fabric Bands, Samsung really wants you to consider its watches an all-day-all-night affair.
Looking through our collection of the best fitness trackers for sleep, these gadgets really come in all shapes and sizes. Watches, trackers, mats, even smart displays — it’s clear this segment of the market is more saturated than ever before.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons to find sleep tracking overhyped. For one, not every gadget is as trustworthy as you might like. Think of Sleep Sensing on the second-gen Nest Hub for example, which seems to gather accurate data, but fails to tell you what to do to improve on your habits. Some might argue that knowing whether or not you got a good night’s rest is as easy as thinking about whether you actually need that third cup of coffee or not. I know that when I don’t get enough rest, it’s fairly easy to figure it out.
So, are you tracking your sleep, and if so, how are you doing it? Personally, I find myself in the skeptic camp on this. I’ve reviewed a few wearables — and have owned more than that — and find the discomfort of keeping a smartwatch on all night not worth a specific hour count for my sleep. But some people swear by it, and with Pokemon Sleep bringing more attention to this segment of the market than ever before, I’m curious what our readers think.
