Dr. Michael Breus breaks down the pros and cons of four popular devices.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen a boom in gadgets that claim to track all sorts of health metrics, from heart rate to calories burned. Many of these wearables can also be used to measure the quantity and quality of your sleep. But how well do they really work? Michael Breus, PhD, (aka “The Sleep Doctor”) is back to give his honest review of four popular products in the following excerpt from his new book, Sleep Drink Breathe — out Dec. 3.
To improve at anything, it’s best to have metrics to measure your progress. Get a baseline and strive to improve from there. In this chapter, you’re going to collect some data and establish baselines on two sleep factors: quantity (duration) and quality (depth).
Together, quantity and quality paint a pretty good picture of how well — or how poorly — you sleep. They both matter. Quite often, patients come to me and say, “I don’t know what’s going on. I sleep for eight or nine hours a night, and I’m still exhausted each morning.” This sounds a lot like, “I go to the gym and do cardio for hours but still don’t feel fit.” Minimal testing is required to reveal that, although they are down for many hours, their sleep skims the surface because of sleep apnea, alcohol consumption, smoking, or medications that disrupt deep sleep. If you spend most of the night in Stages 1 and 2, you won’t reap the restorative benefits of Stage 3 or REM — and you’ll wake up exhausted.
The reverse might also be true. Some of my patients successfully pass through each stage and have efficient, quality sleep; they just don’t get nearly enough of it to function optimally.
One way to get a sense of how well you’re sleeping is to try using a sleep tracker. We live in the digital age. Most of us are walking around with smart phones or smart watches/rings, many of which have apps that track sleep. I have to say that accuracy on such devices is not great, especially when it comes to tracking sleep onset and sleep stages.
Devices provide a lot of information, and checking your score each morning is fun. But don’t freak out if your stats are horrible.
The watch strap might have been loose, or the battery ran out of juice, or the software is glitchy. Devices are never going to be as reliable as the diagnostic equipment at a sleep lab. They are no more reliable than no-tech methods (like using a sleep diary or a self assessment). But if you are curious about tracking sleep with technology, I have some recommendations.
With wearables, the promise is that you can strap on wellness. Good sleep is only as far away as your wrist! Or finger! Or forehead. Again, take all the data with a grain of salt. Here’s a closer look at four common devices.
The Pros and Cons of Four Popular Sleep Trackers
WHOOP Strap
Cost: $240, which includes a one-year membership
Pros: The strap device is comfortable and minimally invasive when exercising or sleeping. It’s not particularly attractive, but it’s okay. It has many sensors for measuring heart rate, blood oxygen, respiratory rate, skin temperature, and movement. All that data yields accurate data on sleep onset, wake-ups, and sleep stages. It’s also got an alarm that wakes you up with gentle vibrations. Battery life: 4 to 5 days.
Cons: You must become a member to use it.
Try the WHOOP Strap for yourself here.
Oura Ring
Cost: $350 starting price, plus $6 monthly fee
Pros: This is the one I use and recommend to all my patients. It’s very attractive, with several finishes to choose from (black, gold, rose gold, silver, etc.). It’s comfortable and unobtrusive. The sensors track temperature, blood oxygen, pulse, movement, and heart rate variability…so, basically everything you need. You get daily reminders about bedtimes, based on daily activity and sleep history. Battery life: 7 days.
Cons: You have to pay a monthly fee.
Try the Oura Ring for yourself here.
Muse S Headband
Cost: $400, plus a $12 per month premium subscription
Pros: Its sensors use EEG technology to track brain waves, providing the most accurate data on sleep quality, intensity, and quantity. It also tracks your sleep position — which can provide fascinating insight — and heart rate, too.
Cons: You wear it on your head, so it’s not as comfortable as a wrist device or ring. You have to have a Bluetooth connection to use it, and you must charge it daily. It’s pricey! Battery life: 10 hours.
Try the Muse S Headband for yourself here.
Apollo Neuro
Cost: $350, plus $99 membership
Pros: Versatility. You can wear this device on a wrist or ankle strap or clip it to your shirt, as long as it touches your skin. The tech uses low-intensity vibrations in certain patterns that either trigger the parasympathetic nervous system to put you into calm mode or activate the sympathetic nervous system to make you more alert. So you program the device to calm you down as needed, making it a sleep aid as much as a sleep tracker that collects data on all the sleep quantity, quality, and movement. It’s comfortable to wear, and not unattractive. Battery life: 6 to 8 hours.
Cons: You have to program it on your phone app.
Try the Apollo Neuro for yourself here.
Excerpted from Sleep Drink Breathe by Michael Breus, PhD. Copyright © 2024 by Michael Breus. Used with permission of Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
