Sleep Stages Missing

[SammiSmurf]

Hey, I've had my Fitbit since Monday and it logs my sleep but not the sleep stages? I have removed the app on my phone and re-installed it, re added my Fitbit (twice) and changed the sleep time started (read this online but no luck!). Any ideas would be great! 

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[ashwolve]

Hi All - I have a charge 2 and occasionally have this problem, now I fail to understand Fitbit's way of thinking with most of the errors reported to them but with this one they may have a point.

When wearing the tracker as a watch (ie the same as you would wear a normal watch) it seems to log correctly the day to day data such as heart rate steps etc, but, when it comes to working out they suggest you tighten the strap slightly to allow for better results (this I don't really understand as your wrist will probably swell slightly anyway with exercise) but it seams to work.

Now what they suggest is that you do the same before going to sleep with the device in auto sleep mode, (again I understand this to a point as if you sleep with arm under a pillow etc it could raise the device sufficiently to affect the recording of data) so as an experiment to those who still have issues with this may I suggest the following

1. position of the device  (what is classed as wristbone? where the wrist bends or that bumpy bone on the outside of the top of the wrist) - in my case I will take the latter, the strap on my arm rests just above that in a natural position (incidentally this is 2 finger widths from where the wrist bends)

2.  on my normal Fitbit strap I have it set at hole 8 so the pin goes into the strap at the 8th hole(I can fit 1 finger under the strap at the clasp comfortably) for exercising I need to tighten it to hole 9 (I just tighten I do not raise up or down the arm)

      I also have a sports strap where wearing it normally is on hole 9 so the pin goes into the strap at the 9th hole this I move to 10 when exercising

3. my suggestion is to try the above to see if it makes a difference, obviously find the strap tightness to your own wrists as everyone is different if 1 hole difference doesn't work try 2 hole difference - you should still be able to squeeze 1 finger under the strap without forcing it (stretching the strap).

also ensure the HRM is cleaned on a regular basis especially after exercise or a warm day (I use a lint free screen cleaning cloth but a microfiber cloth will do as well and use it dry and once a month I use a skin cleanser wipe (the same as girls use to remove makeup as it is dermatologically kind (I use witch hazel wipes) that way you will not drown the sensor - I also use this on the strap that connects to the skin as it removes dead skin residue) also remember to dry the strap after exercise and using the wipes.

Hope this helps, the charge 2 seems to be ok with this on the most part so hopefully other devices will be the same I know its a pain to keep moving strap tension for different activities and we shouldn't really have to but its a suggestion

@C27 as well as trying the above your other request of sleep data from app I may suggest you go into settings (the cog on pc dashboard) about 3/4's of the way down the left hand list you will see Data Export click on that you will see a grid with time period and data select time period you desire and again the activity (sleep is the last of the 4 allowed) click file format (may I suggest XLS) and then download this will appear in you download folder of desktop depending on your setup it will only give numerical data but it may help you (also check the tabs at the bottom of XLS spreadsheet as if you select more than one activity it will be shown on different tabs.

Good Luck all

Kind Regards

Wayne

[C27]

Thanks for the info/ideas on wrist position. 

I wanted to export heart rate data since a lack of consistent readings is reported as the cause of missing sleep details.  I see other data is available to export but not raw HR data for some reason.  Seems this would be some of the most useful data especially to share with a doctor.  It would help me in figure out when/why the readings are inconsistent.

So far, I have not been able to find a way to do this other than possibly writing code and using their API.

If there is a way to get at this data, please let me know.

[ashwolve]

@C27 Hi - Unfortunately that's another request that's been ongoing for about 2 years with not a lot of response from Fitbit as to if or when the function will be made available.

its a long shot but as a work around there is a tile on the main dashboard (PC Desktop) that allows you to view stats on a daily basis if you click on the heart symbol on the right hand side of that tile (closest to the centre a drop down will appear and you can select from Heart, steps, cals, distance) next to it is another drop down menu with daily, weekly etc this will give you the current graph (screenshot it and paste into a word document) to get previous days at the top you can go back one page and snapshot that and crop in word and so on - its not ideal and the detail might not be as much as you want but it will give a general idea.

let us know if it works or if it is what you needed

Kind Regards

Wayne

[Patsy67]

Hi SammiSmurf & all other Fitbit users, I’ve only had my Fitbit just over a week and have had the same issue with sleep stages missing. I tried your solourion - don’t start sleep let your watch automatically detect it and it worked! Thank you, I can now see a full graph with sleep stages.

[leokun]

---

@LucyAP wrote:

Also, make sure that you are not using the "begin sleep now" function on their app to track their sleep. Using this will prevent them from seeing Sleep Stages. Using this function will also prevent receiving a message explaining why they didn't receive Sleep Stages.

---

This is completely absurd !!!! In what let determine by the watch that you are sleeping and specified yourself is a complete different process ???? 

[ACG]

---

@leokun wrote:

---

@LucyAP wrote:

Also, make sure that you are not using the "begin sleep now" function on their app to track their sleep. Using this will prevent them from seeing Sleep Stages. Using this function will also prevent receiving a message explaining why they didn't receive Sleep Stages.

---

This is completely absurd !!!! In what let determine by the watch that you are sleeping and specified yourself is a complete different process ???? 

---

@All

I've never used "begin sleep now" ever since I started using Fitbit in 2015 and "automatically detect sleep" has worked flawlessly. 

[22-_Danielle]

This happened to me and the people a Fitbit asked like I don’t even know what I talking about 

[Casa7036]

I have been having the same problem. But from reading this the cause is from starting the sleep cycle manual by pressing the start sleep now and then in the morning pressing I’m awake. To find start sleep now, tap your Fitbit app on your phone click the sleep tile then click the + sign in top right corner it will then pop up Begin Sleep Now.  I am sure u are aware that this can cause these problems but it bothers me when I ask a question and don’t get an answer Hope this helps.

Fitbit app on phone

sleep tile

+ sign top right corner

Begin Sleep Now

Moderator edit: merged reply

[Lyndiesel]

Yes. But if you call them, a nice gentleman will get on the phone and he has the same ability to answer that you do. One just told me that they have a software problem with REM and they’re working on it. He could not say when they expect to solve it and when I talked about returning the watch he said it would be my decision. Good luck.

[Irreverent]

Does resetting the Versa delete previous data?

[Lyndiesel]

No. It does not delete data, but I have never gotten any REM info after owning the Versa for 2 weeks.  They tell me it’s a bug and that they are working on it, but you will see lots of us have this bug.   The only alternative is an Apple Watch which is a different thing. 

[Lyndiesel]

If you use that one, you will only get, “simplified” sleep info and it will tell you why.  It is because you used the method you are talking about.,

[Lyndiesel]

Yes. If you call Fitbit, they will explain that REM has a bug. 

[ashwolve]

@Lyndiesel @Irreverent  is the REM sleep missing in total or is it just on the device itself? ie if you log into the app or the website can you get a truer reading of your sleep data maybe if you can and it is just the device you could use that as a work around until a software update for the versa is released to fix the bug,

also @Lyndiesel could I ask that if you need to add extra information in future posts you edit your post with the information instead of posting one after each other as I have found out Fitbit don't like it when this happens and may remove all the posts as they deem it to be against community guidelines

I agree some of the issues brought up with Fitbit are taking far too long to resolve some I am aware of are over 3 years in the(we are working on it) category and these are just the basic of the fixes

Kind Regards

Wayne

Edit 1 - you can copy and paste each of your comments into the original and replace the extra with " please remove posted in error" and then flag your own post to bring it to the attention of a moderator who will then delete the unwanted posts

hope that helps

regards

Wayne

[Lyndiesel]

I don’t understand about how to enter the information so that Fitbit likes it. Could you try to explain any better?

Sent from my iPhone

[ashwolve]

@Lyndieseli guess you are refering to the additional information on posts - at the top right of your post there should be 3 dots on top of each other - if you click on this it will give you the option to edit your post - it is best to use this if there has been no responses between posts (ie if you forgot something in the first part of the post use this edit method instead of making a fresh post)

did you manage to sort out your original enquiry

kind regards

Wayne

[Lyndiesel]

It clearly tells you that if you do it that way, you will get, “Dimplifird sleep details.”

[Mrstk4205]

My Inspire did this exact thing as well last night.  The difference is I set the sleep app on my phone.  The night before I did not.  Tonight I am not going to push the I am sleeping button and see what happens.

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @Mrstk4205 have a warm welcome to the Fitbit Community. It's great to see you too @Lyndiesel and @ashwolve I hope you're doing well. 

I appreciate your participation in the Forums and for keeping this thread updated. Please note that if you start sleep from the Fitbit app, it will only give you simplified stats. If you're having trouble with Sleep Stages, the app will provide in-app error notifications that provide an explanation for why you aren't receiving Sleep Stages on any given night. This is meant to provide insight into what might be occurring to cause this.The error messages are the following:

1. We need more than 3 hours of sleep to reliably calculate your sleep stages. Learn more
2. Your tracker couldn't get a consistent heart rate reading while you slept. Learn more 
3. We couldn’t generate sleep stages for this sleep. Please try again tomorrow. Learn more

When you tap on Learn more, you will be able to get more information about why your tracker didn't record sleep stages. Additionally, I'd like to suggest the following:

• For any of the nights you were expecting to see Sleep Stages, did you ever click on the "Begin Sleep Now" or "Add Sleep Log" functions within the Fitbit App?
  • This is important to note because your tracker uses auto-detection to track Sleep Stages; so there's no need to try and remember to click on anything before falling asleep! 
• Do you have at least 3 consecutive hours of sleep?
  • This is important to note because you typically won't see sleep stages if you are waking up multiple times through out the night or taking short naps.
• Your tracker's battery isn't at a critically low level prior to falling asleep.
• Your device is tracking and syncing heart rate data.
  • This is important because Sleep Stages uses a combination of your movement and heart-rate patterns. 
• Your Fitbit App is updated to the latest version.

I hope this can be helpful, if there's anything else we can do for you, please feel free to reply. 

[ashwolve]

@MarcoGFitbit  Hi I am not sure if I have miss-understood in this new enquiry of this issue or you have, I think that the issue was not App related but device related (I will defer if I am incorrect) but I was trying to clarify the issue as it is on the device forum instead of the App forum (this could be were some confusion lies) you have detailed the actions for the app and from what I can gather it is just the REM section that is at fault so not sure if the procedure you advised on would work - is there another method or is there a bug (as suggested) with the device software itself,

Many Thanks for the additional advice and look forward to your response

Regards

Wayne