Sleep Tracker - Android

Machka9
Machka9 Posts: 26,067 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Have any of you used a sleep tracking app?

If so, did you find one you like?

Thinking of trying one ... I'm waking tired every morning.

Replies

  • ACanadian22
    ACanadian22 Posts: 377 Member
    I have it on my fitbit. Kind of shocked me how little I sleep. I thought I was getting 8 hours, but lucky to get 7. It shows on my workouts and how I feel in the daytime too.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 26,067 Member
    ACanadian22 wrote: »
    I have it on my fitbit. Kind of shocked me how little I sleep. I thought I was getting 8 hours, but lucky to get 7. It shows on my workouts and how I feel in the daytime too.

    I don't have fitbit or I'd go that route.

    But yes, I think I should be sleeping 7 hours, but I'm beginning to suspect that I'm lucky to get 6. There might be a reason why I'm falling asleep on the bus on the way home in the evening and have no energy.
  • MarvinsFitLife
    MarvinsFitLife Posts: 874 Member
    @Machka9 Fitbit is a good sleep tracker or check your android apps for a highly rated tracker
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,106 Member
    I'm not sure they'll be the answer. From what I've read, they're not very accurate, and I know for a fact that my Garmin Vivoactive 3 is laughably inaccurate. (It's shown me in REM when I was awake in bed texting, and doesn't show my known waking intervals, for example.)

    If you have severe problems with sleep, consider a sleep clinic, if you have a way to manage the cost or access. Some sleep deficiencies (apnea, for one) can contribute to long term health problems. In the US, decent health insurance will cover it.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I agree with AnnPT77. At the end of the day you're probably going to want to go to, at the very least your GP, but likely a sleep clinic to figure out how best to diagnose and address your problems surrounding sleep.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 26,067 Member
    I think I sleep just fine but I wake up exhausted.

    I'm just wondering if anyone here has tried one of the apps where you can tuck your phone under your pillow and it records things.

    I've only just heard of them
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I think I sleep just fine but I wake up exhausted.

    I'm just wondering if anyone here has tried one of the apps where you can tuck your phone under your pillow and it records things.

    I've only just heard of them

    For what it's worth, from what I understand it's not uncommon for people with sleep apnea think they're sleeping fine despite waking up exhausted (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Then they get a diagnosis and they realize what was going on and why they're waking up exhausted. By saying that I'm not implying that you have sleep apnea (that would be rather irresponsible of me) so much as saying that just because you think that you're getting good quality sleep doesn't mean that you actually are. I'm also just not sure what you would you would do with the information you could potentially garner from an app or device on your own.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    ^^ This.
    A sleep tracking app moves certain body movements, and in some cases heart rate. Sleep testing involves placing electrodes to monitor brain activity. What are you hoping to gain from a sleep app?
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 26,067 Member
    Some of the sleep tracking apps I've looked at track noise such as snoring, talking, and grinding teeth. That last one is a bit of a concern because my teeth are falling apart and I suspect I'm grinding at night.

    I'm just hoping to get some indication whether or not there's any evidence of a problem, and since the apps are free, I'm hoping to do it at no cost before I start pursuing more expensive options like sleep studies.

    Also, unless the sleep study can take place in my home, I can't pursue that option because I am my husband's carer since he had a bad accident in March which resulted in a severe brain injury. I can't leave him alone in the house all night long.

    So ... if a free sleep app, that someone thought was pretty good, did indicate a problem, then I might have to check into sleep studies and look for a night carer for my husband. But I'd rather not do all that 'on spec'.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,106 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    Some of the sleep tracking apps I've looked at track noise such as snoring, talking, and grinding teeth. That last one is a bit of a concern because my teeth are falling apart and I suspect I'm grinding at night.

    I'm just hoping to get some indication whether or not there's any evidence of a problem, and since the apps are free, I'm hoping to do it at no cost before I start pursuing more expensive options like sleep studies.

    Also, unless the sleep study can take place in my home, I can't pursue that option because I am my husband's carer since he had a bad accident in March which resulted in a severe brain injury. I can't leave him alone in the house all night long.

    So ... if a free sleep app, that someone thought was pretty good, did indicate a problem, then I might have to check into sleep studies and look for a night carer for my husband. But I'd rather not do all that 'on spec'.

    Talk to your dentist, too, then: Mine was able to make me a night guard based on self report and tooth condition that helped. There are drugstore OTC versions that might help, also - $20-30ish, maybe worth a try. Dentist version high hundreds to low 1000s here, but ultra custom and better.

    I've heard that some sleep clinics do do in-home studies: Worth checking near you, maybe.

    No harm in a free app or fitness device . . . but if it finds nothing, just don't assume there is nothing.

    Hugs and best wishes! :flowerforyou:
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    If you are grinding, your dentist can diagnose and treat. You will need see one or more doctors before getting a sleep study. You can’t just call up and schedule a sleep study on your own. There are sleep studies that can be done at home, but they are more limited in scope. Your doctor will decide what you need based on your symptoms and medical history.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 26,067 Member
    Nevertheless ...

    Still wondering if anyone has used one of the free Sleep Tracker apps and what you thought of it.
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,302 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    ACanadian22 wrote: »
    I have it on my fitbit. Kind of shocked me how little I sleep. I thought I was getting 8 hours, but lucky to get 7. It shows on my workouts and how I feel in the daytime too.

    I don't have fitbit or I'd go that route.

    But yes, I think I should be sleeping 7 hours, but I'm beginning to suspect that I'm lucky to get 6. There might be a reason why I'm falling asleep on the bus on the way home in the evening and have no energy.

    About 18 yrs ago, I started dozing off in meetings, having "microsleeps" in rush-hour bumper-to-bumper traffic on the NJ Turnpike (I didn't realize this, it took a passenger to alert me to this very serious problem - and yes, I'm really, really lucky nothing happened), etc. Turns out, I had developed obstructive sleep apnea.

    I've looked at these apps, and none of them seem to be worth the effort. I've had periodic formal sleep studies since my diagnosis, and I guess they're the "gold standard" for sleep evaluation.

    Keep your husband up a night to monitor your sleeping, LOL, and see a doctor - sometimes sleep/lack itself isn't the thing, but an indicator of something else.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 26,067 Member
    Yes, I will be seeing a Dr. I have had an appointment booked with a specialist since before I posted the original post here.

    I have had a look through various sleep apps, and unfortunately the one I was most interested in has now been taken off the android market.
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,302 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    Yes, I will be seeing a Dr. I have had an appointment booked with a specialist since before I posted the original post here.

    I have had a look through various sleep apps, and unfortunately the one I was most interested in has now been taken off the android market.

    Very sorry. I just read more of this thread and see the note about your husband's injury. I didn't know that when I made light of him monitoring your sleep above. Didn't mean to cause any distress, sorry.
  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,380 Member
    edited October 2018
    I've been using an app called "Sleep As Android" for more than a year now and am quite happy with it.

    Personally, I only use it to track when I go to sleep and when I wake up, but it has lots of other functions (movement tracking, noise recording, ...). I was playing around with those when I first installed it, they seemed to work well. With the one caveat that the buildings elevator shaft runs right behind my bedroom wall, and the app also picked up the noise from the elevator moving up and down whenever someone used in the night. But that's probably not an issue for most people.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 26,067 Member
    _nikkiwolf_ wrote: »
    I've been using an app called "Sleep As Android" for more than a year now and am quite happy with it.

    Personally, I only use it to track when I go to sleep and when I wake up, but it has lots of other functions (movement tracking, noise recording, ...). I was playing around with those when I first installed it, they seemed to work well. With the one caveat that the buildings elevator shaft runs right behind my bedroom wall, and the app also picked up the noise from the elevator moving up and down whenever someone used in the night. But that's probably not an issue for most people.

    Thanks! I might give that a try. :)

    And in answer to the other concerns expressed in the thread here:
    -- 2018 has been the most stressful year of my life, so I suspect some of my "waking tired" is just stress related.
    -- I'm seeing a dental surgeon for TMJ and a dentist for my teeth. There's evidence I'm grinding at night.
    -- Other Drs are chasing up some other issues.
    -- But meanwhile, just for my own information, I'd be interested to know approximately how much I'm sleeping.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,488 Member
    Have a look at the runtastic sleep app. It works for Apple and google play. I used it for a few weeks a couple of years ago, I'm not a data person so abandoned it, and their running/exercise apps.
    It was basic, but did show my sleep rhythms.

    Sorry to hear about your husband. I was wondering if he was ill when you mentioned a stressful year in another thread. Hope some respite care is available. Look after yourself.

    As a brief aside. My SO had a sleep test at home, wore a halter, for tiredness, mild apnia just needed to not sleep on his back until he lost 25lbs. He also has had a mouth guard recommended by his dentist.

    ((( <3 ))), h.
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