About Sleep Cycles Accuracy

[cmae1186]

My fitbit seems to think I get little to no REM or Deep Sleep. Is this happening to anyone else? I have a sleep disorder, but it involves sleeping too much and doesn't result in non REM or Deep Sleep. I just have trouble trusting my results and was wondering whether anyone else had the same feelings. 

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[SunsetRunner]

Hi. You can see your 30 day average, and also hit the benchmark button which will show how your sleep compares to the considered "standard". It's actually quite surprising to see how little rem and deep sleep is considered the norm. 

Hope this helps. 

[AdventureCat]

(Versa) I usually get a full night's sleep with usually at least 7+ hours of 8+ total time, somewhat "normal" Deep%, Awake%,  and lots of light sleep. Yet I still average <12% REM. Heavy exercise yields more deep sleep, as expected. Sleeping in yields about the same REM results, so it's not about not sleeping enough. I have a lot of memorable vivid dreams despite the small time supposedly spent dreaming. I'm guessing/hoping the tracker is just wrong about REM. Then again, my memory is crap compared to 15yrs ago. As an GenXer, maybe it's is a sign of impending dementia. Someone sign us up for a dementia study.

[DawnB14]

I notice similar issues. My Fitbit says that, on average, 13% of my time is in REM, with several days below 10%. I wear my fit bit as tight as I can without it indenting my skin (not including times when something is pressing on top of it). It had me awake for a large block of time that I don’t remember being awake and sure, people have ways of explaining that away, but when I literally got up and walked around and went to bed an hour later my Fitbit says I was drifting in and out of light sleep when I was very clearly awake. That gave me pause and made me realize I should just use it as a guide. I plan on doing a sleep study though. I have been holding off and I don’t think anything will substitute for that.

[Rich_Laue]

@DawnB14 have you thought about wearing the Charge 2 properly? Loose enough so that one or two fingers may easily slip behind the band. 

[Rich_Laue]

Sorry but this is the charge 2 forum. 

Yes you said if it was any tighter it would leave a mark. To me this means it probably is much to right. Mine is loose enough to flip around the wrist and as long as I'm asleep for 3 hours I get stages. To tight makes it hard to see the individual pulses. 

[DawnB14]

@Rich_Laue Sorry for the confusion, I was just looking for issues related to mine and didn't pay attention. I do and have always had it loose enough to put two fingers in between the band and my wrist, if I have it any tighter it leaves a mark... If I have it any looser I can fit three fingers in between and it slips halfway up my hand. With two fingers (which is how I'm wearing it now), it doesn't spin around my wrist, however, because I have a comparatively (for me) large wrist bone that juts out and prevents it from spinning around, without me forcing it. Do you suggest I do the next notch (three fingers can fit inside and it slips up my hand)?

[DawnB14]

Sent from my iPhone

[DaveVK]

Yes, I, too have been using the Fitbit Charge 2 to track sleep.  I always receive above normal deep sleep and light sleep numbers, along with less awake time than the benchmark, but very low REM numbers.  Often, less than the minimum percentage. 

As I'm 65 years old, I sometimes worry about that and connect it to perceived lack of mental acuity.  But most people who know me would laugh at that. 

I just think it's inaccurate.  But at the same time, I'm trying to do what I can to change lifestyle patterns, including an hour without screens, no alcohol before bed and little if any snacking.  Will see if that makes a difference.  

[Rich_Laue]

I have moved this sleep discussion to the Sleep Better Board

[Gee_Yo]

Ditto with the deep sleep over avg benchmark. But I’ve had a complete turnaround recently. Here’s what I did: Stopped measuring my sleep and worrying about it. Not kidding. I realized I was so focused on it and it doesn’t help to overthink it. This post may get removed if I say it, but I stopped wearing my Fitbit. Too many daily goals. I feel SO much better not trying to  chase the numbers all the time. 

[Allieanders12]

Don't you think so, you are suffering under REM percentage? The normal percentage of REM is from 20 to 25, but you obey 13 which is very less. Try to consult an expert doctor and get the treatment as soon as possible, as such type of disorder can lead to Dementia.I have seen my grandpa a suffering from dementia for last 2 years, after my grandma died. My grandma wanted to solve all the asset and estate distribution before he loses his mental balance. Thus he took steps in calling an estate planning attorney for processing the further steps. The estate planning lawyer not only took part in solving the estate related issues, but also helped my grandpa to come out from the dementia disorder by staying with them all the time.

[SunsetRunner]

Also 65 and sleeping somewhere between 7 and 7.5 hours a night. Virtually no deep sleep (five minutes is good) and similarly low REM. I feel like I have had a good sleep but the Fitbit shows differently. During deep sleep, the brain cleanses itself by emitting cerebrospinal fluid to clear away toxic protein waste that contributes to Alzheimer's. It is of huge concern to me. I have just switched wrists to see if that helps the reading in any way. Aside from this, not sure how else to encourage deeper sleep.

[Val665]

I have Ionic and few other trackers. My Ionic sleep setting is normal not sensitive and I sleep like a log.

All other trackers show plenty of deep sleep.

Ionic say I barely do any REM or deep sleep.

There is something fishy here.

Anyhow wearing tracker whilst sleeping is too much for me anyway especially in hot summer now.

When they fix Ionic let me know to try it again people 🙂

[Val665]

Stop worrying Antonia - fitbit tracker is NOT a scientific device. Sorry to disappoint you people but science say: Deep sleep accuracy of such devices is less than 0.49 means in half of the cases tracker devices are wrong.

[Gee_Yo]

I’d like to reiterate my earlier posts. I had terrible insomnia for years. I found many things that helped me sleep better, like guided meditations, no screens before bed, better diet, etc.  I tracked everything on my Fitbit. 

But nothing helped more than when I stopped worrying and thinking about it. I stopped wearing the Fitbit altogether. I stopped obsessing about how much sleep I get. And there is research to back up this approach. If you struggle and try REALLY hard to relax, you probably won’t. If you over analyze and overthink sleeping, it’s just going to make it worse. (And I don’t think the tracking is very accurate). 
This may not work for everyone, but I say: take off the devices for a few weeks and stop worrying about it.

[dee20002]

Hey, out there.  I have a Charge 4 (couldn't get my new Alta HR, replacing one I had used for years, to work so upgraded).  It often shows not enough Rem and often inadequate deep. Here's why I now believe I can KNOW that it isn't accurate.  Early this a.m., for the first time since I can remember, I had a vivid nightmare which woke me up.  Yet my fitbit doesn't show I was in REM at all.  In other words, I was clearly dreaming when fitbit doesn't show I was.  This isn't the first time I was pretty sure I was dreaming just before wakening when fitbit indicates I wasn't.  This convinces me that my Charge 4 isn't accurate as to at least REM.  

[Retroruth]

That's really interesting. And very reassuring. Thanks for that! I've stopped wearing mine to bed as I just found it was too stressful worrying about my sleep. I'm probably sleeping better now because I'm not wearing it. 🙂

[dee20002]

Deborah C. Wyatt
342 Key West Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22911
434-977-2698 (land line)
434-227-6820 (cell)

[dee20002]

I know what you mean about the likely needless worry.

[SeeWysocki]

I get an avg of 12% rem

55 min light 

20 "awake"

12-13 deep

i move ALOT