Smart Alarms that Wake You More Naturally (eg. in Light Sleep Stage)

[MikeHalsey]

I just got my Fitbit flex and I think it's fantastic.  If it monitors your sleep though it will have a good idea of when you're in deep (REM) sleep and when you're in lighter sleep.  You cycle between these two during the night on a pretty reliable pattern, and they're easy to tell apart as you don't move around while you're in REM sleep.  At least not as I understand things.

Could an update for the Fitbit modify the alarm feature please to wake you up as close as possible to your chosen time, but NOT during REM sleep?

This will allow you to wake more naturally, feeling refreshed, rather than how unpleasant it is when your alarm goes off in REM sleep.

Thanks, please all vote for this

Moderator edit: labels.

[LittleRedBug]

Please add a smart alarm to the fitbit's functions!

[Rusman]

Fitbit force is a great device. Smart alarm would be a great improvement and I fully support this. Hope it can be resolved on a software level as Misfit shine did it this month with their device.

To my oppinion regarding Fitbit Force, plus to the above said - water proof case and heart rate sensor should bring this product to ultimate perfection.

[SunsetRunner]

Fitbit should feature an alarm clock that wakes you with a 30 minute interval of when you are in between sleep cycles.  For example, if I need to be awake by 6:00 am, then I would like Fitbit to wake be between 5:30 and 6:00 am depending on when I am out of a rem cycle so it won't be so difficult to wake up and I will feel rested and ready to go.

[baldo]

I also think the smart alarm detecting the sleep phase (light vs. deep) is an interesting feature, and for what I've heard, your hardware already support it, it's just a matter of software.

[WebMaximus]

I too would love to see this feature implemented to be used with my fitbit Flex.

Is there any way to check what the current status of this suggestion is?

[ashishenoy]

It's been 6 months now for what seems to be a couple lines of code that most phones and other fitness trackers already offer. Can we at least get some indication about what stage of review this is in?

[MC66]

I would like to quote  dkhuxley on ‎01-17-201421:26 

Quote:  There's a couple of major problems these "smart alarms" that claim to wake you at the optimum time:

1. Actigraphy (using an accelerometer to determine the sleep/wake state) cannot determine REM state.  Actigraphy is reasonably effective in measuring total sleep time and sleep efficiency, but determining sleep stages requires polysomnography which involves a lot more sensors (eg. electrodes stuck to your head). While it is true that there should be no movement during REM sleep, stillness can occur during REM & NREM sleep and even while being fully awake.
2. There is no scientific evidence to support the claims made by the "smart alarm" sellers that they can correctly detect the active sleep stage, let alone wake you up at the optimal time.

It might be good for Fitbit to stay out of this "snake oil" smart alarm business.

End quote.

Whilst I agree with dkhuxley's 1st point [1], there is evidence that Fitbit devices may perform well compared to clinically validated actigraphs [2]. Consequently, they have some potential in predicting when an individual is more easily arousable (i.e. during a period of 'restless sleep' towards the end of the 'night').

However, should a predictive alarm be developed it must not be described as being based on discriminations betweent REM/nonREM sleep stages. That would be dishonest.

References

1. Sadeh & Acebo. The role of actigraphy in sleep medicine. Sleep Medicine Reviews 2002; 6 (2): 113-124.

2. Montgomery-Downs, Insana & Bond. Movement toward a novel activity monitoring device. Sleep Breath 2012; 16: 913-917.

[MC66]

1. Actigraphy (using an accelerometer to determine the sleep/wake state) cannot determine REM state.  Actigraphy is reasonably effective in measuring total sleep time and sleep efficiency, but determining sleep stages requires polysomnography which involves a lot more sensors (eg. electrodes stuck to your head). While it is true that there should be no movement during REM sleep, stillness can occur during REM & NREM sleep and even while being fully awake.
2. There is no scientific evidence to support the claims made by the "smart alarm" sellers that they can correctly detect the active sleep stage, let alone wake you up at the optimal time.

It might be good for Fitbit to stay out of this "snake oil" smart alarm business.

End quote.

Whilst I agree with dkhuxley's 1st point [1], there is evidence that Fitbit devices may perform well compared to clinically validated actigraphs [2]. Consequently, they have some potential in predicting when an individual is more easily arousable (i.e. during a period of 'restless sleep' towards the end of the 'night').

However, should a predictive alarm be developed it must not be described as being based on discriminations betweent REM/nonREM sleep stages. That would be dishonest.

References

1. Sadeh & Acebo. The role of actigraphy in sleep medicine. Sleep Medicine Reviews 2002; 6 (2): 113-124.

2. Montgomery-Downs, Insana & Bond. Movement toward a novel activity monitoring device. Sleep Breath 2012; 16: 913-917.

[Ajfrog]

Completely agree, this would be the perfect addition to an already great product like the Flex

[Strike]

Yeah! It will be pretty cool!!!

[stesto]

I just bought Fitbit Flex because I thought it had this function. I am very disappointed to find out that in spite of the good reviews, this is lacking.

May I get a refund, please!

[schurpf]

Dear Fitbit team, I would very much appreciate if you implemented a smart alarm to wake me up during a light sleep phase. This would be a killer feature. 

If cost is a problem, how about you start a crowd funding for this feature? I would be more than happy to pay an additional $10 to get this crowd funding started and I assume many of the peopel that commented here see it the same way.

[KizmaCat]

Jawbone has this and it is amazing how much better you feel when you are not awakened in a REM cycle.  Would love to see the new FitBit Force have this feature.  Would also like a more feminine wristband on the Force -- not so bulky -- and better visibility on the screen.

[MatthewFitbit]

Thanks for your suggestion! I advise checking out this established topic on the same subject, and voting or commenting there.

I'll go ahead and close this as a duplicate, so we can keep everything collected.

[Sayo]

I do hope Fitbit Flex will be able to wake us up when we are not in REM sleep.

There are already iphone apps that do this and it's free.
Currently Fitbit Flex just wakes us up at set time without considering REM or not, and there is no point to ware this device for me.

I assume it is easy to make this happen for Fitbit Flex.

[wobyen]

Please please please add this feature.  Its absence has me totally on the fence about whether to buy your product.  

[DaMan]

I just bought a Fitbit Flex. Mainly for Smart Alarm... Which as I found out is non existent. There are other reasons why I have Flex, but this was something I wanted for years (even if I consider the problems brought up by MC66 and dkhuxley). Otherwise I will probably switch to Sony, although it has a lot downsides.

Any updates FitBit team?

[aridale]

I hope this feature request hasn't been forgotten, it's been a while since it was asked. I'd love it so much! Any updades?

[yoyebie]

Fitbit team - any progress on this feature? 

After releasing Windows Phone 8.1 app, the Smart Alarm is the last missing feature of Fitbit Flex. After that, it will be the perfect product!

I hope that some development has been made and soon we'll be able to wake up refreshed thanks to Fitbit.

Alternatively you could implement this function in Fitbit apps for smartphones.

It could work like this:

1) You set the "wake up window" (for example 30 minutes) on Fitbit webpage or smartphone application  - it's the time Fitbit can wake you up before the actual alarm clock goes off.

2) If Fitbit detect that you are in the light phase of sleep during the "wake up window" it sends information to your smartphone and the smartphone alarm goes off. 

[mark_haus]

I concur completely. Sleep is probably the most important improvement you can make to your fitness level and all the functionality is there for the fitbit to perform this feature. The only thing that really needs to change is the firmware/software so that it wakes you up based on its perception of the user's sleep phase so you wake up at the best time before a given time limit. All the research is already there to identify the users sleep phase based on accelerometer data and it's accessible to the public. It's silly to not get this feature out ASAP as it is really one of the only reasons someone would buy a Jawbone UP or UP24 over the fitbit flex or force.

[SunsetRunner]

This feature is a must. I worngly bought this device thinking the alarm was a smart one. I did use some iPhone apps that does that and they worked flawlessly, but prefer something like this bands to make the expirence even better. Hope you guys realize it is a great addition. For now I think I will buy the Jawbone Up and return this unit.

[CatJ]

I agree. Would make this a "must have" gadget!

[electric-city]

+1. This should be part of Fitbit One. This is probably the only thing missing from otherwise such a great device 🙂

[SunsetRunner]

This is a great ideea. I used an android app for this but using my Fitbit Flex to wake will be great!

[Rich69]

Purchased my FitBit tonight, just found out it doesn't offer a 'Smart Alarm' or the ability to wake me up after a predefined amount of time - E.g, I'd love the ability to be woken after I have reached 6 hours of total sleep. This is a massive feature for me as I'm looking at developing a better sleeping pattern to help improve my lifestyle and productivity as a Web Developer.

I am also really disappointed about not having idle alerts but the above really is the game changer for me. I will sadly be returning my FitBit in favour of a competitors device, unless there is an ETA for this feature?

Thanks

[SunsetRunner]

I also, not sure why, thought that this is already available. I'm glad I've saw this before buying the One!

I'll be postponing my purchase until some information regarding this feature is available, while looking for alternatives. Which is a real shame as I was really into buying One.