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ZDNET’s major takeovers
- Apple unveiled sleep metrics on the Apple Watch.
- The feature is available with WatchOS 26 and new smartwatches.
- There is one health tracking feature I wish Apple had announced.
Last year, Gallup surveyed Americans about their sleep habits. For the first time since the polls began in 2001, it found that a majority of Americans said they would feel better if they got more sleep. They’re not satisfied with the quality of their sleep and want to improve it. Enter the trusty sleep tracker.
Smart rings, smartwatches, sleep headphones, mattress monitors, and a long list of other sleep tracking devices have flooded the market to address the growing need for sleep.
Also: Apple iPhone 17 event review: Reaction to iPhone Air, Apple Watches, AirPods Pro 3, more
Until this Tuesday, my sleep tracker of choice was the Oura Ring. But after Apple announced it was bringing sleep tracking to its Apple Watch lineup, I’d probably ditch the Oura Ring for a new Series 11, Ultra 3, or SE 3 smartwatch.
Sleep indicator finally
I’ve been waiting for Apple to introduce sleep metrics for as long as I’ve owned its smartwatch. The tech giant excels at sleep tracking, such as the ability to accurately record and report a user’s sleep stages, sleep duration, and heart rate activity (not to mention an FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection feature that reveals an often undiagnosed condition without the need for expensive equipment or a lab appointment).
However, it failed to contextualize that data in the form of a sleep score. As competitors developed smartwatches and rings with the feature, Apple waited on the sidelines. That changed on Tuesday.
People are sleeping more than ever, despite the fact that it’s getting less and less. As more Americans recognize the importance of sleep and its impact on their waking hours — their ability to concentrate, their energy levels, and more — more people are tracking it and trying to improve it.
Also: I replaced my Apple Watch with the Oura Ring 4 for sleep tracking (and it did some things better)
Apple’s new feature takes a user’s sleep duration, bedtime consistency, and interruptions to produce a score out of 100. It was developed using Apple’s Heart and Motion Study, which evaluated over 5 million nights of sleep data to create its scoring algorithms.
The results are in line with the latest guidelines from three sleep research foundations, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the National Sleep Foundation, and the World Sleep Society.
Still waiting for stress tracking
I’m all for the Sleep Score feature. But one update I’m still waiting for is comprehensive stress tracking. I first tested this feature on the Oura ring. Daily Stress plots the user’s heart rate data against four stress classifications: lower heart rates fall in the refreshed and relaxed range, while higher heart rates fall in the engaged and stressed range.
This feature provides an interactive view of my heart rate throughout the day while I’m working, exercising, socializing, or commuting. I’ll check it after an emotional moment to see how my body is responding to stressful information, and I do the same with my Apple Watch.
Also: Best sleep trackers: These sleep trackers improved my sleep
In fact, while I was on a plane to an Apple event earlier this week, the six-hour flight (and my empty stomach) was starting to get on my nerves. With nothing but caffeine in my stomach and several hours of flight to go, I was starting to get anxious. True to how I felt, I checked my Apple Watch Heart app to track my heart rate in real time.
I regularly check my heart rate and scroll through the Heart app to see my daily activity. But I can’t dig deeper into my data or closely examine the exact moment my heart rate starts to spike.
However, Apple already records this data, and a more interactive, in-depth display of heart data could help users better understand their daily stressors. Hopefully, this feature will become a reality in Apple’s next software update.
