Is it possible to earn a 100 sleep score?

[Yennnny]

According to this article by Fitbit, most users earn a sleep score between 72-83.  Since the score is out of 100, and the display on iOS shows up as a circle that I have failed to close, I am wondering if anyone has ever actually earned a sleep score of 100.   Is it actually possible to achieve this goal?  If so, how?  Were strong sleeping pills involved?  

(Edit to add: No, I do not take sleeping pills, I do not drink, and I do not want to take any substances.  I made this comment because I believe the scoring system sets an impossible standard.  And no, I am not buying premium just to see the math).

Honestly, even on a night when I slept for over 10 hours with plenty of deep sleep, my “score” was still only an 84.  It seems impossible to earn above the low 80s.

It feels like I am taking one of those impossible “weed-out” classes in college where nobody earns above a B- and the prof doesn’t give As on principle.  Is that the model here?  

If it’s not really possible to get a sleep score of 100, why is the sleep score configured to look like an achievable “goal” from which we have somehow fallen short?  If we are doing everything in our power to get good sleep, and we still cannot earn 100 or even 90, what’s the point of it?  Fitbit has been so useful for helping me to set and reach goals.  Why create a goal that is inherently unattainable?

[blomgrl]

I've gotten a 93 on one occasion. I've been 90 to 92 quite a few times and I usually average 85 to 87ish. I believe it's prob not possible for a 100! lol

[Rich36]

I bought my first Fitbit on Monday and have been excited to track my sleep every night since . I had low expectations and wasn’t confident I’d get a “good” score. To my surprise, my first 3 nights have been 87, 85, 86, 85 with an average sleep time of 6.23 hr. I’ve cut out drinking , am exercising regularly and am eating a clean consistent diet all of which I assume help with sleep. My goal is stil to “improve” my score by adding 10 minutes of meditation before bed.  My take is just because I haven’t reached 100, doesn’t mean it’s unattainable for others or even for myyself eventually with consistent work towards it. It’s a target to strive for like any other lofty goal, which I always find helpful to have. 

[neikka]

… that’s a healthy happy approach and at least two people in this thread have said they’d reached 100 - I didn’t think I’d ever get a score of 90 but I did and that has given me enough confidence to keep improving although I don’t use a Fitbit anymore but I’ll know when my sleep routine and sleep has improved. 

[Cathyversa2]

Oh yes, our journeys have been similar.
Best of luck to you.

I also like to strive for lofty goals but goals should be attainable and
you should even be able to exceed your goals. I, And most others find
fitbits goal of 100 to be unattainable. I usually find I'm in the '90s,
though I have excellent sleep now.

Thanks for your thoughts though.

C

[Kate412]

My original question involved asking, what 100 was based on. I had hoped Fitbit would address the question. When I look at “benchmark” data, I am awake less, in the range for deep sleep, REM and light sleep for my age. So to what standards am I being scored (ones for my age or against all ages)? With expected or exceeding scores against the benchmark- how does that score in the 80s? Perhaps this is a bell curve scenario? So then we are all above average (50). I wish Fitbit would let us know.

Kate Venneri
Sent from my iPhone

[Cathyversa2]

Hi Kate,

Yes, your question was thought provoking. I too wonder if I'm being scored
as a 65-year-old woman, I'm not sure what they base it on. I'm also curious
about how Fitbit determines the score. I know there is some information
about it on the site but it's not complete.

Hopefully with so many of us asking this question they will address it
soon!

Thanks,
Cathy

[alpinewalker]

Well gosh— this seems a little cross and harsh. I get paid for going to work and don’t you? I imagine there are perfectly nice people working at Fitbit that also need to pay rent, and the business has to also cover costs for servers & security audits, programmers to fix issues, customer service reps, and so on. What in the world do you imagine is the business model if we, the users, don’t chip in? so, no, not “disgusting”. There has to be additional value for paid users or everyone would be on the free plan. I do appreciate that not everyone can afford to join the paid plan. But I do think it is important to remember that they have ongoing costs to spin up this service that are not covered by a one-time purchase of a device. 

[Angel60]

That’s your opinion that’s fine but i have a different one.

Sent from my iPad

[MBorzone]

Thanks for the response. I believe there is something faulty about my Fitbit. It has never given me a sleep score. Only simplified data. My husband wore it one night and he got a score, but I’ve adjusted it every which way and I still haven’t gotten one. It’s been over two years.

Sent from my iPhone

[neikka]

My mum rarely gets a score as her sleep is so interrupted and when I have a restless night, I don’t get a score even when I feel like I’ve slept well, I can tell by my bed covers and the ‘no score’ that I’ve had a restless night, so it could be that you’re sleep is restless. 

[Gynesys]

If you're having trouble with your Fitbit not collecting sleep data, while your husband did not, it's highly likely that you need to wear your tracker higher on your wrist. Men typically have fuller, more vascular forearms so they seem to get better readings. What I do every night before bed that usually works for me:

• Remove my tracker from my preferred arm (I wear it on my non-dominant arm, my left). This helps alleviate any irritation. 
• Clean the device with a little soap and warm water and dry. (Many people report getting rashes from wearing their Fitbit for prolonged periods. This can happen after sweating in the device, as it tends to collect and hold dead skin cells.)
• Measure 3 fingers width up my wrist from the bone. (Wearing it higher on the wrist seems to render better readings for sleep tracking.)
• Put on the tracker and ensure it's not too tight or loose. (For me this is the 5th hole on my Versa 3. I have very narrow wrists.)

I don't always get it right, especially if I was tired before swapping the device. I hope this helps! 

[Mikhala73]

I would say the sleep score of 100% isn't that critical. What matters is comparison against the score you received when you felt really rested. For me that is in the low 80s. If my score is much lower, then I know I need to work on getting better sleep. 

[Leahdp]

I got a 95 last night but I have no idea how I achieved this but I do consistently get a score of 89 to 91.  I slept 7hrs & 11 mins.  23% Rem, 21% deep and 49% light .  I do not know my heart rate because I do not have premium.  I do sleep with a cpap machine and take a muscle relaxer before bed.  My husband who scores in the 60's and 70's is highly jealous of me.  He takes sleeping pills and has a cpap but still does not sleep well.  We are both in our mid 50's. 

[Emh1701]

I have eczema so refuse to use the sleep score thing, as it would probably give me an "F" most nights, except on the weekends when I can sleep in and take naps.  There are medical conditions, some of them life-long and genetic based, where you will almost always sleep poorly no matter what you do.  I figure I'm not going to give my insurance company the data to penalize me with when this is not something that is controllable, and I can't use the prescription creams on a long-term basis.  It's not fair to penalize people for things they cannot necessarily help.  

[madalayne]

Your health insurance company has access to and uses your fitbit data?

[Angel60]

Sorry this is not relevant to my post. I don’t understand the connection.

Sent from my iPhone

[Angel60]

I don’t have a health insurance company? So not relevant.

Sent from my iPhone

[madalayne]

I was trying to reply to another post.

[earthwitch]

I agree. I have been using mine for 5 years. Oct 2022 after taking a THC/CBD gummy I scored excellent. First one ever! Today I got fair again and the difference is 47 mins less in Deep sleep. I was 43 min above in REM. I don’t think that is explainable. I have chronic pain and toss & turn a lot in my sleep so I excel at that 1 hr 5 mins average every night.  I think I am done. This is a daily frustration for me and I think can I let go of it.😵‍💫

[JoJoannAnder]

My highest sleep score is 95! I totally agree that what improves the sleep score is directly related to a combination of lowering resting heart rate via exercise (aerobic activity such as walking for 30mins daily, weight training), eating properly and minimal alcohol intake. Sleep medications should be avoided as they have a tendency to interfere with REM and deep sleep.