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!

[Palick]

Sorry, can't help you. I also have problems with mine. The first one I had
worked fine, but died. This one, totally different.

[801]

 How to deal with it? I can help but you won’t like it. You have to accept it’s a toy and move on. It can be accurate, occasionally. There are much more accurate sleep monitoring systems available and they can be quite expensive. Do demonstrate how unreliable they are, my issue is with them undercounting my sleep, often by multiple hours. Other times they are right on the money. I have a charge 5 and it’s held up longer than any of my other four Charge models.if you really need to have accurate and consistent results look for a dedicated sleep monitoring system. If you have ever done an overnight sleep test you know how much equipment it takes to accurately measure your sleep.

[GusDorf]

I still have reservations about the accuracy of the Fitbit sleep timer.

And even today mine will record no sleep for last night which I did know I
slept last night.

However the day before that I was actually downstairs in my sauna and it
said I still sleeping.

[Noramar1531]

Well, I just checked and I already have it set to normal, but every day I find that, if I happen to sit and watch TV for an hour or so, it will show up as "other sleep", which just messes up my sleep tracking.

[CoopersDad]

My Versa2 used to record my sleep pretty accurately.  But now, for the past few months, it starts recording 2 or 3 hours after I fall asleep.  I wonder if this has anything to do with my newest blood pressure medication regimen.  I now take a pill at bedtime.  The timing seems to coincide, but it could be pure coincidence.  I haven't changed any settings--it's still on normal.  How can I get this back to recording ALL of my sleep?

[Palick]

I don't work for Fitbit, so can't help you out. Sorry about that.

[Blueraven60]

I think it's the last update.  It sometimes usea an "awake/restless/deep sleep" chart, and other times an "awake/rem sleep/deep sleep" chart.  My preference is the latter.  I just slept from 10:40 to 1:19. No awake periods, yet I got 59 minutes of sleep.  My request at 1am is "Please, don't make me do math!"  What I want to k b ow is, Amy way I can keep the rem sleep chart and lose the other?

[CoopersDad]

I've now decided that the issue has to do with my BP med that I recently started taking at bedtime.  On three separate nights, a week or more apart, I didn't wear my Fitbit to bed, but put it on when I awoke a couple of hours later.  On those occasion, Fitbit told me that I was asleep from the time I put it on my wrist.  All other times, it doesn't register my sleep until a couple of hours after I go to bed.  Does anyone reading this work at Fitbit?  If so, are you able to tell me (and the community) if this thinking is right?.

[GandalfIAm]

My FitBit shows my sleep cycle as follows:

Awake

REM

Light

Deep 

I have mine set to sensitive because when it was set to normal, it counted my insomnia (though I was moving some it counted me as asleep) and as sensitive, if I am in bed and awake and moving my feet and hands (I do relaxation exercises to help me to fall back asleep) then it still comes up like I am asleep.

Even my countless tossing and turning while awake and unable to sleep shiws up as being asleep.

Rather than get frustrated with FitBit's limitations, I just use it as a guide (loose guide).

For me it is more about counting my steps albeit my Google tracks my walks etc too.

For my part, unless one pays an exorbitant  amount of money for a dedicated or multi-platform device, then it behooves them to to save themselves a lot of grief and go with the limitations or it is just going to be an added stressor that no one needs.

I know this does not albswer questions on how to fix the limitations and glitches and inconsistencies with pur FitBits but despite these hiccups, they are goid value for their money and a guide of sorts.

I wish each of you a very splendid and wonderful 2025 that is healthy, happy, filled with friendships true and blessed with peace and prosperity.

Cheers! 

🐾🐾🐶🐶:canada::canada:❤️❤️

[Palick]

I'm sorry, I can't help you. I don't work for fitbit.

[GandalfIAm]

Hubby is on a multitude of medications, including blood pressure medications that artificially keep his blood pressure very low and to give youvan idea of how low it us kept by the meds, he has to do his stress test by injection (persantine) because he cannot exercise long enough to elevated his heart rate) and yet, his FitBit tracks his time spent sleeping as well as his time spent awake (even if he is just sitting and playing on his tablet it counts as being awake and that involves minimal movement of the body) and it tracks when we walk our dog.

I have his FitBit set to sensitive as well.

The only thing I can suggest is set for sensitive, make sure your phone is running the latest version and that your FitBit is also running the latest version.

I wish you every success.

❤️❤️🐶🐶🐾🐾

[loaftray]

I agree – I now just use my Fitbit for tracking steps. I’ve found it completely inaccurate for sleep tracking. I still can’t understand how it’s marketed as being able to track sleep when it clearly can’t. And I’m still frustrated at being misled by the marketing, since sleep tracking was the only reason I bought it in the first place. For me, it doesn’t even work as a useful guide. That said, for step tracking and the prompts to move – it’s great. Happy New Year when it comes everyone! 🎆

[GandalfIAm]

I am ao sorry that the main function for which you purchased your FitBit is the one with the most issues.

Not to beat the subject to death, but I did have a thought - do you wear your FitBit snug to your wrist, about a finger width or two just past the small bone on the outside top of your wrist?

I did notice when I track activities that I snug up my FitBit so it does not slip from place (I snug it up enough that it leaves an indent in my wrist when I loosen it (I bought knock-off bands online that are stretchy - a pack of four because the FitBit band that came with it is plastic and irritated my skin such that it peeled).

It just occurred to me that this also might be a bit of an isdue for you - the band not being snug enough.

I hooe this suggestion is of some benefit to you - maybe give it a try.

Good luck and all the very, very best for 2025!

[loaftray]

Hello GandalfIAm, thank you for your suggestion - much appreciated. But, yes, I followed all the guidance for sleep tracking, including placement and tightness, and have experimented with all the settings. My conclusion is that the technology is sadly just not there yet 😞 Also wishing you the best for 2025!

[Blueraven60]

I too have a stretchy band. So it is pretty much where it should be.  But it's created a new tic. It now will no longer sync. I think I'm going to put it off as a bad purchase.

Love the name. 

 

[GandalfIAm]

Wow!

I am so sorry that your FitBit is giving you such issues. 

I spent a bit of time a few days ago fighting to sync hubby's FitBit to his cellphone. For reasons unknown, it stopped syncing and gave me such grief that I wanted to scream.

It stayed synced to his tablet but the cellphone proved arduous to get working again.  Grrr.

Here is a pic of my FitBit which is about two finger widths up my wrist or just past that little bone on the wrist.

[GandalfIAm]

I cannot attach the photo of mine as it says it exceeds the size limit.

Grrrr

[NarniePoo]

My Fitbit worked perfectly for 2 years, logged my sleep very accurately and measured my heart rate accurately. All that changed the moment Google bought Fitbit and developed their own app. It has nothing to do with anything the user is doing. The watch is only as good as it’s app and Google new app is horribly flawed and full of errors, I feel bad for folks going out and buying new Fitbits without knowing all of this.

[Blueraven60]

I agree.  My first year and a half were great.  But I'm still sitting here with an expensive toy that doesn't work.  

Hey fitbit!  If it ain't broke, don't fix it! 

[OldGrumpyGit]

Should I be dead? I got a fitbit for Christmas because I don't sleep well and wanted to track my sleep. But I have no clue whether what is being reported is in the least bit accurate. I am set on normal and have been since I got it. It reports that I get between just 49 minutes and 2 hours 47 minutes per night (I'm in bed for 8-9 hours) with the longest sleep consecutive sleep of around 50 minutes. This pic is typical.