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!

[801]

The idea of changing the fitbit to show the sleep you THINK you are getting is not advised. You gave a clue yourself when you said it thinks you are asleep when you are just lying in bed. It works by tracking movement so if you lie stiull it thinks you are asleep. If you get up to go to the loo and it misses that then something is wrong with it. Did you have it on normal? Try sensitive and see if it missed movement. If it does then it's defective.

[BondGrrl777]

That's frightening! My average is about 4 to 5 hours of actual asleep time each night, with a lot of them being around 2 1/2 hours after being in bed anywhere from 8 to 9 hours.  I've just set mine to normal to see what happens.

[UNTBJH]

I'm getting weird sleep logs, too. I just checked, and my sensitivity setting is on Normal. At the moment I am tracking my sleep with both my phone (Android) and the FitBit. Last night, according to the phone, I went to bed at 9:45, was in light sleep at 10:05 and deep sleep by 10:15.I got up at 7:40am after about 20 minutes of light sleep. According to FitBit, I went to sleep at 2:38am and woke up at 7:52am, with 7 minutes awake from 5:23-5:30am.

According to the phone, at 2:38 I had just dropped back into deep sleep after a few minutes of restlessness. This was not the first stretch of deep sleep of the night. There had been two previously, which FitBit missed entirely.

The phone is not entirely accurate, either. It doesn't register all my trips to the bathroom (usually calls them "light sleep"). Its times when I begin and end sleep are approximately right, though, as are its general patterns of when I am deeply asleep and restless/awake, according to what I remember doing.

The night before last was similar to last night. The three before that were seemingly accurate. The one before that (my first night with FitBit) was wonky, though, showing that I went to sleep, then was awake for most of the night, then slept a bit more before morning. According to my phone, I was asleep all night, though there was an extended stretch of light sleep in the middle.

What is going on?

[Health_4me]

I'm not an expert. However, Mine is pretty accurate, but also has the "restless" lines. If I get up to get a drink, go to the batheroom, it shows more than when I'm turning over, or moving a lot in my sleep. All of that shows up as Restless on my sleep graph. It makes me realize how much movement I have during the night without even realizing it.  Do you mind me asking.... which fitbit do you have? I have the Fitbit ONE, that you can wear just about anywhere, except unless I buy a "wristband" for it, I usually wear it on the collar of my t-shirt, or on my bra. So at night I"m supposed to put it in a band that goes on my NON-dominant hand, which I rarely do, since I fall asleep before I think about it. Just curious which one you have and if on wrist do you change it over to your nondominant arm? My guess is that people tend to still move their dominant arms throughout the night, but fluffing a pillow, or just pulling up a blanket etc. Just a thought.

[UNTBJH]

Sent from my iPad

[CMBravo]

                                    I find my self ,politely saying thank you for the gift. Am also sorry, an expence of 140 dollars depreciated so quicly in a matter of mths to 74.00 . I spoke with coustomer service after ,having to charge quite often and having issues with the SLEEP track component of the devise.NO ,I would not rely on this for a apnea diagnosis. Ask your MD .They have take home devises that can be prescrived. I was told HR is being substituded by another model and no updates or service would be availble. they sudgested I sell on ebay or Craigs list. I guess I could bring to Macy´s and try to switch.to new model. But it doesnt make sence .Its like a fad.just my 2 cents

[801]

I was thinking the same thing! I asked the moderator to explain what fitbit says about this but all I got back was silence. It makes no sense that if it works right there would be 2 settings. Either you are moving during sleep or not. How much would reveal how rested you might be. WE are told to change it to normal if you don't have sleep problems. HOW IS FITBIT GOING TO TELL US THAT??? Besides your sleeping partner causing the device to register your their movements as yours there should be no difference in the settings.

[CallieM]

Hi everyone - Thanks for posting about your sleep log issues! Please refer back to the original post in this thread where I give tips that will probably help clarify what's going on in most of your sleep logs. If that doesn't help, please refer to our help article about sleep. If, after reading through both of these, you feel something is still going on, please contact support at contact.fitbit.com to create a case. Thanks!

[Audi723]

I had this question too.  I had to sign in to their web site from my computer and go to account settings.  I couldn't do it from the phone app.

[Audi723]

I couldn't do it in the app. I had to sign into the web site and go to settings.

[801]

Hi Callie

Can you please tell me how to post my sleep charts on these messages?

[undrum]

I have done this, restsrted the device, after 5 momths of it nothing works.  It rarely begins tracking my sleep until 3-4 hours after I go down.  I know this is inaccurate because I'm old enough to know when I lose that much sleep in an 8-hour period.  This feature is not as advertised.

[G_row004]

As you can see above my sleep statistics are shocking. I have my Fitbit mode set to normal and I am still not receiving what I perceive to be normal sleep.

Does anyone have the same issues or have any advice ?

Thanks ☺️ 

[Labyrinth]

Thank you Calliefitbit,

I have been wondering about my sleep record it has been crazy as it has me going to bed at 2 am in the morning ? anyway I have found your tips helpful will try changing the settings. 🙂

[Jrb29301]

I was trying to change my sleep setting, but mine does not have the described options.  I went to advanced settings (under account), but there is no sleep option there.

I have a Charge HR and use an Android phone.

I wanted to try sensitive since the sleep tracker thinks I sleep far more than I do.  I am surprised when I get up during the night and it only suggests that I am restless.  

Thank you.

[cupcake6467]

Dab and you'll fall asleep

[Enrique-Philly]

Thanks for your posting;  I always find this information very interesting, however I'm at the point hat I don't know what to do with it;  for example what would be an ideal sleep chart? and what would be a non ideal chart?

Looking into my numbers I'm trying to improve the sleep hour time and wake up time,  but still I cannot achieve a perfect rest graph...  (I feel very rested and alert (LOL)..

I guess my question is compared to other people what would be a good benchmark in terms of sleeping efficiency?

[SunsetRunner]

This seems really bad advice. Basically FB saying that their trackers are too sensitive in sensitive mode (err, yeah?) and to put it on normal mode instead.

In other words, you move during the night (you're restless) but don't worry about it - just mask it!

Err, really?

Now, not all movement during sleep is bad, of course. Maybe this is what FB means - but then why have a sensitive option in the first place?

I just switched my tracker from normal to sensitive last night and it has made a big difference. I definitely think it is something now worth investigating because obviously there is movement going on there and the amount of time being still suggests I'm not getting much if any deep/REM sleep. Obviously I will have to test this out over time, having spent the last 9 months or so on the normal setting. Now I have my timing routine pretty much nailed down I think it's time to look at how restless I really am, even if it means losing those target stars!

[SunsetRunner]

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@Enrique-Philly wrote:

Thanks for your posting;  I always find this information very interesting, however I'm at the point hat I don't know what to do with it;  for example what would be an ideal sleep chart? and what would be a non ideal chart?

Looking into my numbers I'm trying to improve the sleep hour time and wake up time,  but still I cannot achieve a perfect rest graph...  (I feel very rested and alert (LOL)..

I guess my question is compared to other people what would be a good benchmark in terms of sleeping efficiency?

---

Here's something from FitBit's own blog (didn't realise it was a FitBit article until after I'd read it):

https://blog.fitbit.com/restless-sleep-isnt-always-bad-but-heres-when-its-a-problem/

"research confirms it’s typical to have anywhere from 10 to 30 periods of wakefulness or restlessness during the night." says Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, a Fitbit sleep advisor and director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Although it doesn't say how long these might be and so on. Still not sure what "normal" is. 🙂 

[Jrb29301]

But how do you change it? I looked and how I was told to change it weren’t options - so which it says I sleep about 6 ½ hours a night, it counts when I lay in bed playing with the dog, when I get up and go to the rest room (that is sleeping but restless), etc.

Wish I could change it and see – maybe I don’t want to know…

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