How does Sleep score work?

[IKICan]

Can someone please explain Sleep Score to me

Moderator edit: Updated subject for clarity.

[SteveH · Accepted solution]

This is an extract from one of the help files:

"Your overall sleep score is a sum of your individual scores in sleep duration, sleep quality, and restoration, for a total score of up to 100. Most people get a score between 72 and 83. Sleep score ranges are:

• Excellent: 90-100
• Good: 80-89
• Fair: 60-79
• Poor: Less than 60

Duration: Time asleep and awake	How much you slept—the more you sleep, the better your score.
Quality: Deep & REM sleep	How much time you spent in deep and REM sleep—the more time you spend in these sleep stages, the better your score.
Restoration: Sleeping heart rate & restlessness	How relaxed you were during sleep—a high sleeping heart rate or too much tossing and turning lowers your score.

Note that you must see sleep stages to see sleep score. For more information, see What should I know about sleep stages?"

[krob65]

I still don't understand how I can get a sleep score in the 80s, when my total sleep was just over 5 hours one night and then score in the mid-70s when my duration is over 7 hours.  I realize it looks at all the information, but it just seems that 5 hours would leave me less time for the stages of sleep as compared to a 7+ hour sleep.

[VerifiedUser]

Where can I find out which of the 3 areas affected my "sleep score"?  I am sure that some nights it's lower due to duration, but other nights when the duration seems appropriate, I'd like to be able to see if it's the Quality or the Restoration that is lacking.  But I can't figure out where to view that?  Thanks.

[jsnbrooks]

Why would you force sleep score on us is my question.  I just want to track sleep hours not some complicated and convoluted way.  Please make this optional, and bring back the old way.

[Hplh]

• I completely agree. I just woke up to this new format and am very upset. To not be able to make this optional is a dealbreaker for me and I won’t be using this product anymore.

[irakez]

Please let them listen to us by leaving a 1-star review on App Store, Amazon and all other stores. They couldn't care less about what we say (people, whose money they already pocketed), but once there is a risk that it will influence the purchasing decisions of potential buyers, they will have to pay attention.

They have been ignoring users' complaints regarding this forced sleep score for two months already (some unlucky people received this update much earlier than us) and they will continue doing this, if we don't speak out in the most effective way. They successfully ignored community feedback regarding the new dashboard. And they are successfully doing the same with every other complaint or suggestion.

[JLHumbert]

Agree!  We should have the ability to choose to display either one, or both, in the app settings!

[krob65]

Everything I keep seeing on their app is that this will be part of a "Premium" i.e. $$ version of Fitbit.  If it ain't broke... 

[pastimz]

I currently have an old HR Charge still working which, apparently will not do the sleep score so mine is now zero, every time. I can no longer even see my average sleep time for the week. Why would it be a feature for a device that doesn't work with it? One size doesn't "fit" all, "Fit"bit. 

[Dragonflyagk]

In my opinion sleep score is a novelty bit of information, but not useful to me at all. I can’t actively do anything to improve it. If Fitbit wants to leave it as part of the sleep data, okay fine. But DO NOT REPLACE THE WEEKLY AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOURS SLEPT with the average sleep score. I could care less about my average sleep score. My average number of hours of sleep per week was one of the top data items I track. Bring it back!

[pastimz]

Yep, average sleep works for me especially since my Fitbit won't support the sleep score (too old).

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[Panther888]

What happened to the average sleep number?? I understand the sleep score number but average sleep is more valuable (to me)! Having the average sleep number was one of the last reasons I hadn't switched totally to Garmin (who's sleep functionality isn't as good as Fitbit). Now that's gone.

[Dominique]

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@Panther888 wrote:

What happened to the average sleep number?? I understand the sleep score number but average sleep is more valuable (to me)! Having the average sleep number was one of the last reasons I hadn't switched totally to Garmin (who's sleep functionality isn't as good as Fitbit). Now that's gone.

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It’s no longer found in the app, but it’s still there if you’re interested in it. See this other topic for more info.

[shivani_4u2nv]

I 100% agree.

I bought my fitbit solely to track my sleep.

Previously, when I know my average hours are not adding up to what I need them to be and I'm tired, It would be good to be able to see at a glance how many hours I need to catch up on and go to sleep earlier accordingly.

This sleep score is just making it more complicated and it's so frustrating.

Such a shame 😞

Please give us the option to go back to the average hours sleep Fitbit!

[JLHumbert]

Yes, they should give us both...  and the option (in settings) to show or hide either of them.

[GrandMara]

Great info!! Thank you!!

[Rosk2]

I think the sleep score is wonderful !!!

I've been keeping track of "how I feel" using my own scoring ie; bad - okay - good on a daily basis for about 6 months.  I have noticed my score doesn't necessarily correspond to the total number of hours I sleep and not always how much rem and deep I'm getting. I started seeing the Fitbit sleep score this past week and so far it is dead on with my own "how I feel" score.     

Thank you Fitbit !! 👍👍

[irakez]

Why not make it optional or hidden in the stats, like the cardio score? Which you see only when you are intentionally looking for it.

[SleplssElsewher]

A score in fitness is understandable. How far did you run? How many steps did you take? How quickly did you cycle? But sleep is completely different. Sleep is sooo complex. You get a score but so what? What does the score mean on any one particular night? Did you have more deep sleep? More REM? Did you sleep longer? Wake less? And the thing is none of those are changeable through any act of will. Yes, you can choose to go to bed earlier but will you sleep any better. You could choose to build your sleep pressure by going to bed later but is that what impacted your sleep on that particular night. ANY sleep specialist will tell you that one of the greatest enemies of sleep is anxiety about sleep - and to be given a SCORE on your sleep is not helpful at all. Anxiety is reduced through a sense of control and predictability and accomplishment. The score does nothing other than, as one poster said early, provide judgement and judgement over something over which you have so little control. Some people sleep terribly despite doing all the the right things. Fitbit needs to recognize that sleep is completely different than every other aspect of fitness. Please, please, please get rid of the curse of the sleep score!!!