- The $4 can't track sleep natively, but there are a host of third-party apps in the App Store that can turn your watch into a sleep monitor.
- Several of these apps provide basic functionality, like monitoring how long you've slept, the quality of your sleep, and your heart rate for free, but charge for more advanced features.
- Of the three free apps I tried to track my sleep, I found SleepWatch to be the most comprehensive.
- $4
The importance of sleep cannot be understated. It plays a critical role in everything from our emotional state to how well we're able to focus throughout the day and our long-term health.
Thanks to the proliferation of devices and apps designed to monitor our sleep, it's easier than ever for anyone with a smartphone to keep track of sleep trends over time. Wearable devices like trackers and watches from $4, Apple, and Garmin provide an even closer perspective on the quality and quantity of your sleep.
The Apple Watch, however, does not monitor sleep by default, a metric that rivals like Fitbit have long offered. But that doesn't mean it's impossible to measure your sleep using Apple's smartwatch. There are a variety of third-party sleep-tracking apps available in the App Store, many of which integrate with Apple's Heath app.
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Although the Apple Watch can't monitor your sleep by default just yet, the company is reportedly planning on $4 in the future, as $4 has reported. It's also worth noting that if you do plan to use your Apple Watch as a sleep tracker, you'll have to find an optimal time to charge it since many of these apps require you to wear the watch overnight. I found myself resting the watch on its charger during less busy times of the day when I wasn't active, such as during dinner or while sitting at my desk at work.
After spending the past few nights tracking my sleep with three free sleep-tracking apps, SleepWatch emerged as being my favorite. It provides a more in-depth snapshot of your sleep for free, while others charge for more than just the basic features.
Here's a closer look at the apps I tried and how they compare to other free sleep-tracking apps available in the App Store.