REM and deep sleep no longer tracking in the Fitbit 6

[OldApp]

My sleep is no longer tracking in the Fitbit six. I have to manually add the hours I sleep and even then it has stopped registering REM sleep and Deep Sleep stages. The graphic artists who developed the new visual graphs, should go back to art school as they have created visually unclear data that communicates badly to replace the old clear graphic images.

Do the technicians ever read the community bulletin board because it seems like no corrections are being made.

[RiekoC]

Hello @OldApp 

Sorry to see that you're having issues with sleep tracking.

Some users reported that their sleep tracking returned after they restart their Fitbit. Have you had a chance to try this yet?

Another tip to try is rotating the Charge 6 to the inside of your wrist when you go to bed. I've seen posts where users have reported this tip has helped them get their sleep data.

[Marumoore]

Hi, I have tried all the fixes as well:

restart, tighten, wear inside my wrist, manually sync, make sure its fully charged, change the sleep sensitivity, none of the suggestions work. I have had this charge 6 for about 1 month. It tracked sleep in detail a very few times at first and then stopped. 
I NEED it to track my heart rate while I’m sleeping. Very Important. And yet, night after night it utterly fails and I just get the basically useless and inaccurate “simplified sleep data”. 
HELP! What else can I try? Is this just a glitchy fitbit? Most everything else “seems” to work (though with the sleep glitch I wonder how accurate everything else actually is). 

[RiekoC]

Hello @Marumoore 

Are you able to see your heart rate data?

The sleep data requires the heart rate sensor. Do you see a green light on the back of your Charge 6? That's the heart rate sensor. To check, place your finger across the back of your device. You should see the green light when you lift your finger.

If you don't see the green light, check to make sure that Heart Rate is turned on in the Settings tile on your Charge 6:

• Swipe down from the clock face until you see the Settings tile and tap on it
• Swipe up until you see Heart rate and confirm that it is turned on

[Marumoore]

Hi, 

thanks for the reply 🙂

I can see my heart rate data and the green light is on. (I have atrial fibrillation and my cardiologist advised me to get this to keep an eye on it while we try to get it under control, so I’m all about the heart rate end of it 👌🏻) But at night it suddenly doesn’t track it so my sleep data is just the simplified stuff, and I have no night time heart rate info, when I really need it. 
I can’t figure out why 🤷🏻‍:female_sign: 
I have tried the inside of my wrist and buckling it extra tight (only 1 hole left on the wrist band)… still nothing. 
ONCE last week it suddenly tracked a night properly, but I did nothing differently and it never did it again. 
I am baffled. 

[RiekoC]

Hello @Marumoore 

Thank you for your reply and additional information.

Have you had a chance to restart your Charge 6? If not, that's the first troubleshooting step to try. You might try doing a few restarts. If you haven't done a restart, this help article has the steps to follow: How do I restart my Fitbit? (<-- click link).

I've seen other users report issues with getting their sleep data consistently. However, I haven't seen a fix for this yet. I'll keep monitoring the forums and will report back if I find a solution to share with you.

[Marumoore]

Thanks for your speedy replies. Much appreciated  🙂   I have restarted it, but only once. I could try some multiple restarts perhaps (3rd times the charm, so they say 😉)  I will let you know if that works. 

I wondered if perhaps it is a problem with app interface, as fitbit runs on android and I have an iphone. I know it’s supposed to work on iOS as well, but I also know they don’t play well together.

I appreciate your keeping an ear to the ground for info on this problem. It seems to be a difficulty a lot of fitbit owners are running into. 

[Marumoore]

Just an update: restarting the fit bit several times, AND shutting off and restarting my phone did nothing to improve the situation. I still got simplified sleep info this morning. 

[RiekoC]

Hi @Marumoore 

Well, drat. I was really hoping that the multiple restarts would clear the issue.

Although Google products work well with Android, I know they do their best to have their products be compatible with iOS. I recently attended an event at a Google campus and saw a number of employees using Apple products. There are a fair number of other Fitbit Product Experts who use iOS.

Android users also have their fair share of Fitbit bugs.

As soon as I learn of a solution or if this will be fixed by an update, I will report back.

[Marumoore]

Drat indeed!  This morning it magically displayed an actual detailed sleep score. I did absolutely nothing different. I’ve been wearing it for 36 days and always wear it to bed. It has managed to give me sleep DETAILS 10 times now. So, 26 times it couldn’t manage it. 
I will be very excited if you ever discover a fix that actually works! Thanks for the sleuthing 🙂

[RiekoC]

Hi @Marumoore 

I'm glad to see that a sleep score appeared. But it's not happening consistently, which is frustrating and makes it difficult to pin down the cause.

I saw a post that got me thinking about this issue. By any chance, do you use any skin care products around the area where you wear your Fitbit? If so, consider wiping the back of the Charge 6 with a lightly dampened cloth.

If you don't use skin care products around your wrist area, you can ignore the suggestion. Back to sleuthing...

[Marumoore]

I always avoid skin products where I wear the Fitbit, so that’s not it. 
Oddly, it gave me a complete sleep score again last night. No idea why…I even had it buckled more loosely than normal because it had been annoying me that day. 

So, 2 in a row…will there be a third? And why did it manage those 2?  I swear this Fitbit is just glitchy. (I regret not going with an Apple watch…except that the battery life on those is a joke).

Continue sleuthing! Perhaps some of these suggestions will help some other poor soul with their persnickety Charge 6. 

[Marumoore]

I am sure I will jinx it now, but it has logged 4 nights in a row in detail!! Why? (I mean, it’s great…that’s what it’s supposed to do, but after weeks on NOT doing it, one wonders what the heck is going on)

I have done NOTHING different. There have been NO updates to the app, the fitbit, or my phone. I have not charged it or restarted it (again). I am not wearing it differently. 
Is this what they do? Sometimes work correctly, sometimes not. It makes me wonder how accurate everything else it does is. 

sign me Still Baffled 

[RiekoC]

Hi @Marumoore 

Thanks for the update. Glad to see you got another successful sleep log.

I almost didn't respond as I also don't want to jinx your streak. Got my fingers crossed that your sleep logs continue to track. 🤞

Sign me Also Baffled

[Marumoore]

Jinxed it. 😞

back to missing details. 
again, no changes in anything, it is just hit or miss. Is this typical or is mine glitchy? 

[Mproctor]

I got mine 3 days ago and so it has only recorded my sleep information for the past 2 nights. I don’t know what you mean by “simplified.” I can tell you that I am able to see my sleep stages, timeline and benchmark, as well as estimated oxygen variation. I do not have premium. My Fitbit watch and app both are up-to-date with the latest version as well. 

Also, it only gives a sleep score if you’ve slept for more than 3 hours. 

[Marumoore]

By “simplified” I mean that it gives me Awake, Restless, & Asleep. 
No REM, no Deep Sleep, and no info on Heart Rate or Oxygen etc. 
I always sleep about 6 hours, give or take a few minutes, and it is wildly inaccurate when I get the simplified info, usually telling me I only slept 4 hours or less. (Last night it claims I was asleep for 3 hours and 48 minutes. Definitely not correct.)

I have had other fitbit models and had less of a problem with this (though they weren’t fool proof either). I had hoped the technology had improved with the Charge 6. (And both watch and app are up to date and I am using Premium right now, though it certainly doesn’t seem worth keeping)

I do wish you luck with yours. They are pretty awesome when they work correctly.

[nhendric79]

I am having all of the same problems and have tried all of the suggested solutions. I get simplified score, no rem or deep. I pay for the premium info and am not getting what I am supposed to. I also need to track heart rate and oxygen levels and am so frustrated. I had a Fitbit for years with no problems but this one is only a few weeks old. I had to switch to Google to use the Charge and have an Apple phone so that shouldn’t be a problem, but maybe???

[RiekoC]

Hello @nhendric79 

Are you seeing the green light heart rate sensor on the back of the Charge 6? If not, that would cause an issue with sleep tracking since it needs the heart rate sensor to track the sleep stages. 

[FredMom]

Hello Marumoore. Did your Charge 6 ever start working consistently to record your overnight HR? (This is the main reason I need tracking as well- to record 24 HR for arrythmia). I've just bought a Charge 6 to replace my Inspire 2....but reading your issues (and many others') now, I may not bother doing the switch. Hoped it was an upgrade with improved HR tech and ECG capabilities.  Maybe not!    😞  TIA