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!

[diatom02]

Set to "normal" sleep sensitivity yet the APP recorded my sleep as happening a few hours before I set it to start sleep mode (while sedentary but not in bed). I have poor sleep in general and getting medical help. I'm trying to get a handle on how poor my sleep is and having Fitbit add sleep hours is disconcerting 

[loaftray]

Hello, I find that Fitbit tracks time awake as light sleep - so it is pretty useless to me. I've changed the sensitivity setting, do you have any other suggestions? thanks!

[MatthewDom]

Thanks, your article makes sensitive sense. Just finding out tomorrow. I probably made it sensitive because sleep is important to combine work, medication, fitness and track seizures in sleep. Only asking myself, why now? I'm using this device for a few years, with sensitive sleeptracker. Or did it change with the better, easier sleep profile Fitbit Premium I remember something did or will happen they announced few days ago 

[ADKzip]

My Inspire has always been set to normal but increasingly - including 2 nights this week - my log shows me as asleep for a certain number if hours that includes thirty to sixty minutes when I’m up in the morning, making the bed, feeding the dog, washing dishes, etc.!  This totally screws up the percentages of awake, light, deep etc.  Luckily, I have true (not artificial) intelligence snd can do the math to get the correct percentages.  And the wristband is in the same location on my wrist so that’s not the problem.

[magzley]

Thanks for trying to help, Callie. I find I sleep best when I take the Fitbit off and forget about monitoring my sleep. I could never get a reading that reflected how I felt I slept, whether it was on normal or sensitive. 

[Edword]

I got my charge 6 last Sunday on normal it did not record my sleep I changed to sensitive and has been working well in the app since. For some people normal may best but for me would not record sleep but sensitive doing a good job. The quantifed scientist put a video up today fitbit is the best tracker for sleep only bettered by the apple watch which has a 1 day battery and 2 expensive speclised things . I compared my sleep with my huawie band last few night charge 6 is more precise. For me I may keep using a huawei as well as it has constant sleep up dates to push you through the night which helps my sleep more than the accuracy difference. The huawie tracker shows how long a sleep for on wrist in real time so can check it each time wake up till get good hours then get up. The fitbit only tells you hours in the morning after up at the end of the night. In terms of sleep the huawei has helped by me knowing when to get up and movitvating me to sleep longer fitbit with out real time up dated can't do this. I realise using a sleep tracker to actively increase sleep this way is not common but I get bored in bed so find since got my huawei tracker my sleep improved a lot as know need to show 6 plus hours ideally over 630 before up if wake and 4 or 5 I try and sleep till 630 this has made my sleep better. Many people use sports trackers in real time when running but not for sleep. I do running but more running or faster is not always healthier more sleep Is for many. The real time sleep updated on the wrist through the night is one feature fitbit lacks . If you wake in the night it does not tell you how long you have sleeped so far on the watch etc

[Sdumond]

My fit bit 5 does the same thing also never had an issue with fitbit 2 fitbit 5 a dud

[Philseay]

I did. Doesn’t help
Sent from my iPhone

[ADKzip]

Now that so many people have replied that the Normal setting does NOT provide reliably accurate tracking, do you have any other ideas????  Or is it just IOS users who are affected?

[801]

My recommendation is this is toy for entertainment purposes only. I have sleep apnea and have owned every version of the charge and the two that came before it. Since owning the charges I’ve noticed that at best they intermittently record the correct amount of time asleep because I can compare it with the time spent wearing my CPAP. Mine is a years long personal study and the fact is on either setting it can lose hours one day and be perfectly accurate the next. Every sleep doctor I’ve seen recommends not using these devises as medical tools. If they CAN’T keep hours then I don’t believe for a moment the sleep stages stats are even remotely trustworthy. It’s fun but not a medical device. Just look at all the wires and straps involved in an actual lab sleep study and you will understand what it takes to get real data about your sleep.

[loaftray]

I completely agree. I'm shocked that Fitbit are allowed to claim these devices track sleep, and really frustrated with having wasted money on one - Fitbit should really be held to account on how this. My friend - who also uses a CPAP for sleep apnea with the data sent to a hospital, has also been experimenting with comparing the data, and advised exactly the same thing - the device does not, and cannot, track sleep stages with any degree of accuracy. I wonder if/how these posts reach Fitbit though because so many people are saying the same thing! ☹️

[801]

 Fitbit knows that the sleep data is flawed. This is America and the truth about any product’s quality or value is often exaggerated in the pursuit of profits. Capitalism! On the other hand I don’t think you wasted your money buying one as long as you didn’t buy it just for the sleep data. If you don’t take it too seriously it’s a good tool to encourage you to exercise. And even though the sleep function isn’t perfect it can give you incentive to get adequate hours of sack time. Even though I know it’s not accurate I still check it every day! I kinda like to see if it did good which it occasionally does. There are much more accurate sleep devices available that read information from more than just a wrist worn device. If you are having serious sleep problems you should do an overnight sleep study. Most insurance will cover it. Personally I think even those are flawed because I’ve had several and always have trouble falling asleep with all those wires, tubes and straps attached to my face and body. If you have obstructive apnea and are overweight then work hard to lose weight. I lost 30 lbs and apnea is almost completely eliminated. I’m in the process of losing more and hope to get rid of it forever.

[NarniePoo]

A lot of people are having issues with sleep tracking being inaccurate since the new app. See my screen capture. My Fitbit said I was asleep during those times when in fact I was wide awake sitting on my couch watching TV.

[801]

Not surprising. If you were sitting fairly still watching tv. Fitbit monitors your sleep by movement. I think once it decides your sleeping small movements register as “restless” sleep. It’s just not a medical grade device. It’s a toy that gives you a very general idea of your sleep habits. If you think you have an actual sleep problem like sleep apnea or some other possible medical issue go see a sleep doctor and have an overnight sleep study if your insurance will cover it. You will see what it takes to monitor your sleep, lots of wires, hoses and straps all over your body. I’ve had three of them and it is no fun and seems counter intuitive because at least for me it’s very difficult to fall and stay asleep with all those things glued and taped to your head and body. Even so with the sleep I got they detected apneas and restless leg syndrome. My wife could have told them that for free.

[NarniePoo]

Thing is until the new app it was always very accurate and never said I was asleep when I wasn’t. This sort of thing just started with the new app. Aside from that, honestly how still do you think I am while sitting on the couch?  I do move, a lot. Heck I move in my sleep a lot and even so it used to be accurate. Heart rate data is no longer accurate either. It scared me as a person with a mechanical heart valve because I thought I was brachycardic. So I checked with my oximeter as well and my heart rate was normal, so I figured out my Fitbit is reading my heart rate inaccurately as well now.

[801]

sometimes accurate sometimes not. Its just not a reliable tool.

[Margo79]

My sleep was already set on normal. I'm going to try on sensitive tonight. Then again, I don't think Fitbit is accurate for sleep.Its always off. Especially when I know what time I went to sleep and got up. Another thing I've noticed is that it doesn't pickup on my Tachycardia I get every now and again. It used to, but now it doesn't. My bpm goes up to 160 and I open the app to see if it's picking it up but it's not. I remember when I started getting the Arrhythmia + Tachycardia  it would pick up the high bpm. How is it that it picks up on zones/ bpm and not Tachycardia (which is hugely important) I put a pulse ox on after I feel the Arrhythmia and the Tachycardia comes & open my fitbit app and it's ridiculous to see how high my bpm is on my pulse ox compared to fitbit watch doing nothing nor showing the correct bpm at the time. I've taken pictures of my pulse ox when it goes up in an episode to when it goes back down. Fitbit does not pick it up anymore. This needs to be fixed. I've even bought different pulse ox and they say the same. So it's not the pulse ox and I know when I have an Arrhythmia then go in Tachycardia. It's scary at times. Now it's a new normal for me. How am I to trust fitbit is picking up my bpm correctly if it's not picking up the high bpm in Tachycardia? 

[Palick]

Does this solution also help with inconsistent sleep results showing Deep, Rem, and Light sleep? Sometimes it's there and other days it doesn't show those.

[spider_als]

Wow you just described what happens to me. I get around an hour to two hours a night of sleep as far as my Fitbit is concerned. I also have terrible short term memory problems. Plus the low heart rate. In the 50s usually and occasionally below. And I wake with headaches at times which I put off as hypoxic (low oxygen) headaches. I occasionally walk he myself holding my breath. It makes me wonder if you ever did that? 

[GandalfIAm]

My FitBit is set to sensitive because I suffer from a sleep disorder and want a decently accurate tracking.

However, as an example, I went to bed around 11:30 pm but could not fall asleep until 4:30 a.m. (was very stressed about something and was mulling over it in my mind and how to effectively deal with the situation).

There is zero chance I even dozed off and I tossed and turned all night and finally got up, went to the living room and went on my cell for a bit then went back to bed.

Imagine my surprise and dismay when I woke up about 2 1/2 hours after I fell asleep to read on my FitBit that I had actually slept many more hours (like I said, I fell asleep around 4:30 a.m. and had my alarm set for 7 a.m. and so the most I could have slept was 2.5 hours (I even got out of bed after I woke up around 5:30 am to turn off the 6:30 a.m. preliminary alarm and just kep the 7 a.m. alarm active). 

I am at a loss as to how to deal with this glaring inaccuracy.

I hope you are able to advise me.

Thanks!