Best smartwatches for sleep tracking 2023

Tracking sleep is an integral component of modern wearable

technology

. Fitness trackers have long offered step counters, heart rate metrics, and sleep monitoring features that make analyzing the otherwise-mundane aspects of your day exhilarating and fun. With smartwatches comes an extra wrinkle that builds connectivity and enhanced functionality into the wrist-worn device. Not only are you able to monitor sleep, steps, and other health metrics, many smartwatches are adept at offering push notifications from your phone, placing calls, and playing music.

The best modern smartwatches can do a wealth of things, but tracking sleep remains one of the features that everyone wants to know about — some might even say it keeps people up at night! While the go-to option for some might be the smartwatch that matches their phone brand, there are actually plenty of great sleep-tracking smartwatches that extend beyond the biggest names. These are the best for tracking sleep and offering the full-service smartwatch experience.

Rest easy with these smartwatches with sleep tracking

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 ranks above the pack when it comes to sleep tracking and overall performance in the smartwatch category. It hit the market in late 2022 and performs very much like Samsung’s previous generation. Aside from the rounded sensor on the back, you might mistake a new model for its predecessor, with this being the primary visual difference. But the change in shape offers more precise monitoring. Sleep tracking activates without user input as well, which makes it a completely easy-to-use sleep tracker because it doesn’t require manually starting the tool before laying down on the pillow.

Not only will you get data on sleep cycles and how long you’ve spent in each sleep stage (REM, deep sleep, and light sleep), but the Samsung Health app also showcases a sleep score that offers a quick and easy reflection on how you slept. Furthermore, the updated watch includes the brand’s Sleep Coaching as a standard. This function takes sleep readings for seven nights (five weeknights and two over the weekend) and then offers feedback on how you might improve your night’s sleep. The

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assigns tailored missions; it might suggest meditating for five minutes before bedtime, putting down your phone for a while, or refraining from napping during the day.

The 40mm Galaxy Watch 5 has some of the smallest dimensions of the bunch, with a 9.8mm height and a weight of just 28.7 grams. The watch’s high-quality sleep monitoring functionality, coupled with communications tools, makes this smartwatch the best option overall for tracking sleep. And it does it at a respectable price tag, too!

Samsung has consistently found itself among the top echelon of smartwatch design. The 40mm Galaxy Watch 4 is a fantastic pick for sleep tracking as a result. The watch is very similar in function and build to the newer Galaxy Watch 5, but it utilizes a flatter sensor design that doesn’t fit quite as securely on the wrist. The 40mm offering weighs just 25.9 grams, making it one of the sleekest smartwatches on this list: Perfect for sleep tracking, especially so if you’re someone who tosses and turns at night.

As with many other smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 4 provides continuous heart rate monitoring and VO2 data. It’s a high-quality fitness tracker that can take readings while participating in gym sessions, road or treadmill runs, and swimming. As a sleep tracker, the smartwatch automatically detects your sleep and offers insight into the sleep stages you experience throughout the night alongside an overall sleep score for a transparent understanding of your results.

As noted, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 update only improved upon the existing platform in some minor ways, including a Sapphire Crystal Glass display and boosted battery life. But the Galaxy Watch 4 is still a serious contender. However, it should be noted that another model appears to be looming on the horizon. The release of a new Galaxy Watch may push the fourth generation of the device into discontinuation. But if you’re looking for a budget pick that still offers a wealth of health tracking data and sleep metrics, you might want to jump on this offer quickly before it’s removed from Samsung’s storefront for good.

In the same way that other Garmin watches offer unrivaled running and exercise tracking functionality paired with GPS systems that ensure you never get lost, the Epix Pro is a fabulous smartwatch for hikers and backpackers. The niche user profile and the Epix Pro’s high price tag ensure that this isn’t a purchase for the casual user. Still, this smartwatch is a fantastic sleep tracker for wearers who intend to utilize the deep catalog of tracking statistics and functions provided under the glass.

The Epix Pro offers a battery life of up to 16 days on a single charge; this makes it an excellent trail companion. It will go the distance and provide detailed information on both your progress toward an outdoor expeditionary goal and the sleep you’re getting along the way. Wearers gain constant health metric monitoring, including endurance tracking, training readiness, and heart rate calculations. The watch also tracks stress and altitude exposure effects and offers insight into sleep and rest regimens aimed at defeating jet lag. The sleep monitoring features provide recovery details, a sleep score, sleep stage breakdowns, and blood oxygen saturation.

The watch is water-resistant to 10 atmospheres of pressure, placing it as a leader in this category. However, the 78-gram weight and 14.6mm depth of the watch (in its middle, 47mm build) make the Epix Pro a hefty wear for those chasing nighttime comfort.

Garmin’s Forerunner 955 Solar is a premium smartwatch in every sense. It also comes with a premium price tag, however. The watch is a perfect complement to routine exercise sessions and offers a wealth of important fitness tracking features like V02 data, average heart rate, training readiness features, and of course, sleep tracking. The Forerunner 955 Solar’s most interesting feature might be its ability to recharge itself with the power of the Sun. Runners and those who spend a lot of time outside will benefit significantly from this added capability. Garmin notes a 49-hour battery life in GPS mode with this function. Although, wearers who don’t need solar charging can get the same watch without this particular feature for $100 less.

The Garmin Forerunner is a runner’s best friend. This is really the primary use case, with the addition of color maps, pace assistance features, stamina monitoring, and track, road, and even hill-grade data analysis. In terms of broad health data, the Forerunner offers enhanced sleep tracking, including a sleep score, respiration information, and sleep stage analysis. Furthermore, the watch provides active heart rate monitoring and a Body Battery tracker that offers feedback on your energy level throughout the day.

The watch is on the bulkier side when stacked up against the competition, however. The frame measures 46.5mm across and 14.4mm tall. It also weighs 53 grams. For those with smaller wrists, the Forerunner may not be the most comfortable option for sleep tracking. Yet, the blend of enhanced features and versatile health monitoring options makes it a great choice for fitness enthusiasts who want to add in-depth sleep monitoring to their routines.

The Google Pixel Watch is another contender for excellence in sleep monitoring. Moreover, this is a cost-effective option that sits comfortably among the pack. The device weighs 36 grams without the band and measures 41mm across the face and 12.3mm tall. While not large, the Pixel Watch is notably chunkier than others and provides a somewhat reduced functionality when stacked up against the preeminent sleep tracking options. This watch is packed with a 294 mAh battery that offers less uptime than the Galaxy Watch 5 but makes up for this lack of battery life with better storage capacity (2 GB RAM and 32 GB Flash memory).

One thing the Pixel Watch has going for it that simply can’t be matched by competitors is the seamless Google utilities built into the system. Google’s smartwatch is built with NFC and notification services and adds the Google Assistant application as well as the familiar Google suite of tools.

With the watch’s technical specifications accounted for, you’ll be happy to know that when using the device to track your sleep, you’re tapping into the health monitoring technology designed by Fitbit. This can be a double-edged sword, however. While Fitbit is known for its health monitoring precision, using sleep tracking on the Google Pixel Watch requires a Fitbit account through the app. You’ll also need to ensure that the watch is charged to at least 30% to monitor your sleep with the device. However, the Pixel Watch automatically detects your sleep, meaning there are no additional steps that you have to take to monitor nightly tossing and turning once the feature is established.

Fossil’s Gen 6 Wellness Edition smartwatch ranks well among the pack. The watch is a 44mm affair, meaning it’s slightly larger on the wrist than many of the other smartwatches noted here. TThe side profile of the device appears highly compact, making for a comfortable-wearing design. The Gen 6 offers fast charging, providing a full battery with just a half hour of juice. This makes it a quality option for anyone who wants to wear their watch throughout the day and then keep it actively tracking sleep at night. It’s a great feature if you often forget to charge your watch as well.

This watch is a step above the standard Gen 6 model and adds improved health monitoring functionality to your wrist. It hit the market with Wear OS 3 included (the first Fossil watch to offer this) and provides continuous heart rate monitoring where the previous version did not — a prerequisite of sorts for any sort of consistency in sleep tracking. These health metrics, including sleep statistics, can be found in the preloaded Wellness app. The device also offers 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, pegging it behind some others in the category but still in a respectable position capability-wise.

The Gen 6 Wellness Edition’s Wear OS 3 update brings it into the conversation alongside other smartwatches from phone and digital tech manufacturers. The operating system means that it’s able to run third-party apps with ease. However, for Google lovers, the Fossil device includes Alexa as a virtual assistant option rather than the Google Assistant that might be favored.

We’ve recommended Garmin before, but we had to include this one too, primarily because of its substantially valuable price tag. The Garmin Forerunner 45 is a 42mm option and the least expensive sleep-tracking smartwatch that makes the cut. The watch is 11.4mm tall and weighs 36 grams, which makes it manageable. The device offers up to 7 days of uptime between charges in Smartwatch Mode and brings with it all the same advanced sleep tracking features that the extended range of Garmin smartwatches offers. This model offers standard Body Battery monitoring, stress tracking, and constant heart rate monitoring that ultimately allows for accurate sleep monitoring. From pulse tracking to sleep stage reports, the Forerunner 45 is a significantly advanced tool in a scaled-down package for improved daily and nightly wearable comfort.

The Forerunner 45 is designed not as an all-purpose smartwatch but rather as an exercise-tracking tool that takes fitness monitoring to a new level. Unlike simple fitness trackers, it offers connectivity to your communication apps through your smartphone. But like a fitness tracker, the watch is sleek and provides a wealth of data on your tracked exercises (most prominently, running, considering the name). The Garmin Forerunner 45 is a great budget-friendly sleep tracker.

Yet another Garmin entry makes the cut for the best sleep-tracking smartwatches. The Garmin Venu Sq 2 brings all the same health monitoring features to the table as Garmin’s other, more expensive models. The watch includes the Body Battery energy monitoring function as well as advanced sleep tracking functions as a standard.

The Venu Sq 2 tracks daily resting heart rate and offers constant respiration (and heart rate) tracking to provide sleep scores, phase tracking, and insights into your restfulness. On top of these great sleep tracking standards, the watch comes in at a much lower point and provides a sleeker wrist feel overall. With a smaller footprint comes a more comfortable wear in the evening, and even though the Venu Sq 2 isn’t purpose-built for the backcountry trail or a substantial dive (with a 5 ATM water resistance rating on this one), the 11.1mm tall, 38-gram wristwatch remains a fantastic choice.

Just like other Garmin smartwatches, battery life is a premium feature in the device. The Venu Sq 2 sports a lifespan of as many as 11 days on a full charge with battery saver mode extending this out an extra full day.

Finally, the Fitbit Sense 2 is a smartwatch from one of the pioneers of wrist-worn fitness tracking. Fitbit’s smartwatch option focuses on stress, well-being, and of course, great sleep.

The Sense 2 offers sleep stage monitoring as well as automatic sleep tracking that provides a nightly sleep score and sleep profile for better insight into regular sleep habits and patterns. This Fitbit smartwatch is rounded out with a smart wake alarm that gently rouses you with a vibration-based wake-up call during the optimal sleep phase for the most refreshing result possible. In addition to sleep metrics, the Fitbit Sense 2 offers stress tracking functions and, for premium subscription users, provides a stress management score (much like the sleep score that helps demystify achieving a great night’s sleep). Additional health tracking functions include a skin temperature sensor and heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring to identify potential over-training for peak rest, body and heart health, and mental harmony.

The watch’s slim profile makes it a great sleep-tracking option, and the battery offers both a 12-minute charge for a full day’s worth of use and a 6-day lifespan when replenished to full power. The watch’s dimensions measure out to a minuscule 38mm face by an 11.43mm depth. These are some of the smallest dimensions among sleep-tracking smartwatches to provide a comfortable night’s wear for all sleepers. When connected to your smartphone, the Sense 2 can be utilized for calls, the Find My Phone function, Alexa requests, and app notifications and messaging.

The best smartwatches for sleep tracking

Smartwatches can augment your life in several crucial ways. From improved communication with friends and family to health monitoring functions that offer insight into your overall wellness, these watches have quickly become ingratiated into our daily routine. The best smartwatch for your sleep tracking needs will vary depending on the additional use cases that you’ll depend on the device for.

For the typical user, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is the best option on the market. It’s a sleek and powerful smartwatch that provides everything a user will be looking for in a smart wearable device. The slender profile also makes for a comfortable device that won’t weigh down wrists during sleep. For runners and exercise enthusiasts who don’t mind a bulkier setup while looking for enhanced outdoor tracking metrics, the Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar is a premium pick that’s excellent in virtually all regards. With advanced sleep tracking metrics included, this Garmin watch is a great choice. However, the device’s heft and the higher price tag may put some shoppers off.

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a phenomenal value option that brings reliable sleep tracking and powerful connectivity to your wrist. It’s a contender among the best, but you might want to jump on the offer quickly as it may be removed from Samsung’s lineup once the newest Galaxy Watch is released.