What is your first thought when you think about the uses of a fitness tracker? Do visions of squats, marathons, HIIT workouts and yoga run through your mind? What about sleep?
Late last year, I got the opportunity to try out the Whoop 4.0, the newest passive tracking wristband from Whoop. I was most excited by the ability to monitor my workouts, read my body’s signals, and translate that into a more effective fitness regimen. However, once I got the Whoop, calibrated it to my body and began to collect data, a whole new side of tracking became incredibly appealing: my sleep.
Sleep is unexplored territory, for most of us. We partake in it every night, for one-third of our lives, and yet we’re basically unconscious for it. Do I snore? Do I talk in my sleep? How do I act in the middle of a dream? For many of us, the answers to these questions lie in our partners’ feedback, meaning it’s not really a firsthand experience.
So when I discovered that Whoop recorded not only my waking moments and activities — Pilates, hikes, rest days and stressors — but also my sleep, I was intrigued. Finally, I could peek into what happens once I drift off to sleep.
The Data
So first off, what metrics does Whoop actually track to measure sleep success? Respiratory rate, disturbances, time in bed, efficiency, light sleep, REM and deep sleep are all logged. It also gives recommendations, telling you how much sleep you need to achieve maximum recovery. (Turns out it’s not as simple as clocking the same number of hours every night. Based on the activity of that day and the day before, I may need to go to sleep earlier — or if I’ve rested, I can stay up a bit later.)