Tracking your snooze with an average sleep monitor isn’t really too wonderful, but if your chosen device is one of the best on the market and provides in-depth sleep reports, then it becomes interesting.
Our guide of the best sleep monitors 2016 consists of wearable devices with advanced sleep tracking, along with industry standard activity tracking and smart features.
There are other good quality devices in the pipeline that could potentially make this list in the year to come – here’s the best of what’s on offer so far – in chronological order starting with the newest at the top.
Best Sleep Monitors 2016 – Wearables
Misfit Shine 2
• Release Date: November 2015
It’s hard not to love the Misfit Shine 2. It doesn’t sport a list of features as long as the others, such as a heart rate monitor and skin temperature, but makes up for them with charm. The tracker weighs hardly anything so you can literally forget it’s there, and can be worn as a bracelet, pendant or clipped onto clothing, making it the most versatile of the bunch.
• Sleep Monitoring
The Misfit Shine 2 automatically detects when you fall asleep and wake up. The Misfit app is very tidy and not over complicated. The app provides reports for total sleep duration and times of sleeping and waking; periods of light, medium and deep sleep, and periods of being awake. To help get you out of the sack in the morning there’s a vibrating alarm.
• Activity Tracking
The activity tracking essentials are onboard, i.e, steps; distance; calories burned and goals. You can Tag different activity types: swimming; cycling; yoga; tennis and soccer – this enables Shine to more accurately credit you regarding the activity type.
• Other Features
The Misfit Shine 2 has a multi-color 12 LED display with a possible 6 million color variations. The display is activated by tapping the top, it then shows your daily goal progress and the time of day.
When you receive an incoming call or text message on your smartphone, the Shine 2 vibrates and its LED display flashes green for calls and blue for texts.
The Misfit app works with many of the most popular third-party apps fitness apps, including: Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, Lose It, Evernote, RunKeeper, and IFTTT integration allows you do a whole lot more, such as controlling your smart home gadgets.
• Compatibility
The Misfit App is compatible with iOS 7 + / Android 4.3 + / Windows 8.1 + / Desktop/Laptop. The Misfit Link app is compatible iOS 8.0 + / Android 4.3 + / Windows 10 + / Desktop/Laptop.
• Battery Life
One of the best things about the Misfit Shine 2 is its coin cell battery that lasts around 6 months and never needs charging. Obviously it does need to be replaced though.
• Water-Resistant
Up to 50 meters. Safe for swimming, but no dedicated swim modes.
Misfit Shine 2
Microsoft Band 2
• Release Date: October 2015
The Microsoft Band 2 has to be the most the most feature-packed fitness tracker on the market. It has more sensors than the MI6 headquarters and is one of a handful of smart bands to feature a built-in GPS.
• Sleep Monitoring
The Microsoft Band 2 automatically detects when you nod off and climb out of the sack. The app makes tidy work of detailing your night’s kip: total sleep duration; times of sleeping and waking; time it took to fall asleep; periods of light and restful sleep; how many calories you burned over night; and sleeping heart rate.
Getting enough sleep is fundamental to our overall health, maybe something that not enough people take into account. The Microsoft Band 2 uses sleep data to quantify how well your mind and body recovered during the night. There’s also a vibrating alarm.
• Activity Tracking
All of the Quantified Self essentials and more are onboard the MS Band 2. It keeps track of your steps; distance; calories burned; floors climbed; skin temperature; UV levels and more. It also features optical heart rate monitoring and a built-in GPS.
• Other Features
Microsoft’s second-gen smart band is equipped with a full-color AMOLED Gorilla Glass 3 touchscreen. It delivers notifications for incoming calls, texts, emails, social media and calendar reminders. There’s a built-in mic and the voice assistant Cortana is on hand for a chat (Windows 8.1 +). Update: Cortana is now compatible with Android. The MS Band 2 plays nicely with music apps such as Spotify and allows you to control your tracks.
Along with the Microsoft Health app, you can sync data with some big-name third-party fitness apps, such as MyFitnessPal, MapMyRun an Strava.
• Compatibility
Windows Phone 8.1 + / iOS 7 (iPhone 4S +) / Android 4.3 + / Desktop/Laptop.
• Battery Life
1 – 2 days depending on usage. With a color touchscreen and a total of 11 sensors including GPS, the battery life takes a hit and doesn’t compete with the rest.
• Water-Resistant
Should survive if you get caught in the rain but that’s about it.
Microsoft Band 2
Jawbone UP3
• Release Date: April 2015
With the UP3, Jawbone set out to build the “world’s most advanced fitness tracker”. almost 11 months since it was finally released and I’m not sure it still lives up to that title, but it does have a rich feature set and decent accuracy.
• Sleep Monitoring
The Jawbone Up3 has some advanced sleep tracking features. It automatically detects when you fall asleep and wake up, and delivers reports for total sleep duration; times of sleeping and waking; light, deep, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep periods and sleeping heart rate. Tips on how to get a better night’s sleep can be found in the app, and there’s a vibrating alarm to help you emerge from the pit of slumber.
• Activity Tracking
The Jawbone UP3 is one of the most sensor-packed fitness trackers available. Its tri-axis accelerometer and bioimpedence sensors measure galvanic skin response (GSR) – skin temperature & perspiration; respiration; fatigue; heart rate; steps; distance; calories burned; elevation and goals. Also onboard the UP3 is a Smart Coach which learns about the user’s fitness levels and offers tips on how to improve.
• Other Features
The UP3 alerts you of notifications, but there’s no screen, instead it has 3 three LEDs that flash different colors: blue for activity tracking, orange for sleep tracking, and white when you receive an incoming call, text message, email and alerts from social media apps.
The UP app is one of the best and works with a wide variety third-party apps. It also has IFTTT integration which opens up a realm of possibilities to connect to other apps and control IoT devices.
• Compatibility
iOS (iPhone 4S +) / Android 4.3 + / Desktop/Laptop.
• Battery Life
Around 7 days.
• Water-Resistant
Splash proof only.
Jawbone UP3
Basis Peak
• Release Date: November 2014
Despite being a little older than the others, the Basis Peak is a top contender. It has received plenty of updates since its release, and as Basis is owned by Intel you know you’re in good hands for future updates and customer support.
The first thing we noticed about the Basis Peak is its solid build quality. If all the fitness trackers on this list faced off in a head butting competition the Basis Peak would win hands down.. It also looks pretty good, I think so anyway.. Obviously it’s larger and more watch like in design than the others, but it’s extremely comfortable to wear.
• Sleep Monitoring
The Basis Peak is the device that actually got me interested in sleep tracking. It features automatic sleep and wake detection, and provides in-depth sleep reports: times of nodding and rising; total sleep duration and interruptions; tosses and turns; periods of light, deep and REM sleep; and an overall sleep score. Also onboard the Basis Peak is a vibrating alarm that can be set straight from your wrist. Unlike the MS Band 2 or Jawbone it doesn’t give you sleeping heart rate reports.
• Activity Tracking
The Basis packs an optical heart rate monitor with accuracy pretty much on par with the best-selling Fitbit Charge HR and GSR sensors to measure skin temperature and perspiration. It keeps tabs on your steps and calories burned, but weirdly – not distance. It uses a proprietary technology called Body IQ that auto detects activities: running; walking; cycling.
• Other Features
The high-end fitness tracker has a monochrome Gorilla Glass 3 touchscreen which along with activity stats displays incoming caller ID, texts and emails. The app isn’t overcomplicated and has some decent features, such as allowing you to share stats on social media, and something called “Location” which displays a graphic of the general locations where you’ve been active using coarse tracking which derives your locations from cellphone towers.
The Basis app works with Google Fit and Apple Health, plus it allows you to stream heart rate data to fitness apps such as Strava and Runtastic.
• Compatibility
iOS 8 + / Android 4.4.2 + / Desktop/Laptop.
• Battery Life
4 – 5 days.
• Water Resistant
5 ATM. Safe for swimming but no dedicated swim mode.
Basis Peak
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