Inaccurate Sleep Log? Change your settings!

[CallieM]

Hi sleepy Community members!

Does your sleep log look something like this?

If you think your log is inaccurate when it shows this much restlessness, you're not alone! A lot of Fitbit users have sleep logs like this, and many times it's due to the fact that Sleep settings are on "Sensitive" mode instead of "Normal" mode. A little about these two modes:

• The normal setting counts significant movements as being awake (such as rolling over) and is appropriate for most users.
• The sensitive setting will cause your tracker to record nearly all movements as time spent awake. This setting may be helpful for users with sleep disorders, or those who wear their tracker somewhere other than the wrist while asleep.

We strongly suggest that most users use the Normal setting. To change your settings to Normal, follow these steps, or visit our help article!

• To change your setting in the Fitbit iOS app, go to Account > Advanced Settings > Sleep Sensitivity.

• To change your setting in the fitbit.com dashboard, go to Settings > Devices > scroll down to Sleep Tracking.

I hope this helps - let me know if you have any trouble changing this setting or if you have seen a difference in the accuracy of your sleep log after switching!

[drden]

Doesn't solve much Sueblue. Will he buy it from you? Does fitbit know some of its wares don't work on some people? It still seems like a broken contract between buyer and producer. they need to offer some form of technical solution or I have just thrown money away. Can't live with this response. Don't believe in buyer beware if the company urges people to use it since it is supposed to be so wonderful and offer so many advantages to health. Still just a tale full of sound and fury and little substance or solutions.

 drden

[Tuner]

If you sleep on your fitbit it will not record.

[ods]

It takes at least 3h sleep for the sleep cycles to show. I was wondering if because my sleep was less than 6h and at to go to toilets in the middle, if this caused the fitbit to think I had 2 times less than 3h sleep, thus no sleep cycles.

[shippee]

For what it's worth if you get up for short periods of time, FitBit strings them together at the end of your sleep - they just show as "awake".  What used to drive me nuts was FitBit never is close to what my CPAP machine reports ... so I've given up on worrying about the readings.  Time better spent on improving sleep routine.

[Tuner]

Amen

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks for this tip.  An odd thing that is happening is that my Fitbit is telling me that I am using an elliptical machine for about an hour on random days while I'm asleep.  Since this is not possible, I'm guessing the my Restless Leg Syndrome is back.

Anyone have another idea?

[chunt8440]

I don't seem to have that option in my app.  Is there any other way to change it?  I am about to trash this FitBit and go back to my other device!

[drden]

Before you trash anything, as I am also tempted to do, we all need to demand answers from Fitbit. This business of trading ignorance about our device when we know nothing about the mechanics of it is quite ridiculous. The fact is, the sleep app is not working for way too many users. My Blaze does not start noting my sleep until 3 am so I apparently never sleep more than 4 hours, which I know from my partner is false. I have tried it in both sleep settings.  

WHERE IS THE FITBIT SUPERVISOR FOR THIS DISCUSSION AND WHY HAVE WE NOT BEEN PROVIDED WITH SOME SOLUTIONS DIRECT FROM THE TECHNICIANS. DON'T ADVERTISE A BENEFIT THAT IS TOTALLY UNDEPENDABLE. 

We will receive no solutions unless enough of us provide negative publicity on the web. 

drden

[Tuner]

I contacted Fitbit several times and they gave about four remedies to try. None worked. They replace my fitbit, but is not any better. I do wear a CPap. I’m thinking that CPaps interfere with the sleep program. My wife gets excellent reporting on her sleep function.

[Fircrest]

I trashed my Fitbit a long time ago.

[Fircrest]

Get an Apple watch. The sleep function is extremely reliable.

Fitbit - forget it.

[ods]

At 3 times the price, the Apple Watch has to recharge at night. Not so good for sleep monitoring then.

[Fircrest]

I never recharge my watch at night and it usually has 70% or more capacity in the morning.

Of course if you start the night at 25% capacity you just might have a problem.

[Jozmo]

I was excited about this idea of seeing more about my sleep. Super excited to see how it handled the fact that I slept for two hours, then got up in the night to go pick up family at the airport, so up about an hour and a half, then back to bed. Sadly my sleep log recorded it as normal cycling including deep sleep. While I was driving.  I no longer believe in this thing at all.

[desertcaper]

sleep information is a joke!

[chunt8440]

Changed it back and forth several times. No difference either way. Just
poorly programmed algorithms on sleep. Should work grear for what you
have to pay. My first fitbit will likely be my last!

[llmjdd]

Hi Everyone

New user here, so apologies if I mess up the etiquette - feel free to guide me/move my post to an appropriate place.

I received a Flex2 from my family for Christmas this year. One feature I have been keen to utilise more is the sleep insights. I suffer from insomnia as part of my General Anxiety Disorder and so tracking my sleep is a really attractive idea for me.

I can be awake and up up to 6 times a night so my sleep is really up and down. My Flex2 had been recording this on what seemed to be a fairly accurate (or at least reasonably believable) way up until two nights ago where it has started registering as zero times waking up/restless.

At first that sounds really exciting and you might think I've nailed some REM fix, but nope... I was up on both these nights so I know it's inaccurate and cannot fathom why.

I wear on my dominant wrist and have changed the setting accordingly. I know it's recommended to wear on the non-dom, but it's uncomfortable for me and impractical to remember to change wrists before sleeping every night. I was happy with the way the results were coming in, so had no need to look into changing to my non-dom.

I also have set it on sensitive as I believed my constant tossing and turning and regular wakening (even when I do not physically get up and out of bed) may not be properly registered on the normal sleep setting. It seemed to be working well and providing me with what I need.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

Lem

[StarrC]

I don't have experience with the Flex2  (have Charge HR and Alta HR) but the Alta is far better than the Charge at recording sleep. I have not set "bed time" or "wake time" on either Fitbit so I don't know if it would start to register immediately if I did, but one of the articles I read on the Fitbit site indicated that "naps" don't register because you have to be asleep for at least an hour before it starts to register.  Other posters have said that their Fitbit records naps under 3 hours as sleep but doesn't record restless/waking info. One indicated that he could press activity but on the side of his Charge HR before he sleeps and again when he wakes and, "...Pretty much 90% of the time it would log the time as sleep." 

But my Alta doesn't have such a button and I don't think the Flex does either.

That said, I've noticed that I can get "blank" periods that look like I removed my devise in the middle of the night and put it back on a couple of hours later. An earlier poster mentioned making sure the Fitbit has plenty of power before sleeping and that might have something to do with it.

SO, I'd make sure it's fully charged before going to sleep and if you don't get reliable info, I'd call the company and ask to be sent a replacement...I'm pretty close to doing that again. They're actually pretty good about that!

[Tuner]

Hi,
It is not unusual to see 15-20 awake times during the night. The sleep function is not particularly accurate on the fitbit especially if you have sleep disorders like I do. However, my wife hardly moves at all in her sleep and seems to get accurate info. You can get a lot of information about sleep by clicking on “ Learn More on the sleep chart.
Tuner

[Maxlo]

My sleep log records me as sleeping even when I’m up getting ready for work!