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The Apple Watch has a built-in sleep tracker, however it may be onerous to seek out. Right here’s tips on how to entry it, tips on how to set it up in order that it correctly data how a lot sleep you’re getting, and tips on how to perceive the outcomes.
Does my Apple Watch help sleep monitoring?
Sleep monitoring was launched with WatchOS model 7 (launched in 2020). That model of WatchOS works on watches from Sequence 3 and newer, paired with an iPhone 6S or newer, with iOS 14 and newer.
In different phrases: The oldest units that can work are a 2015 cellphone, a 2017 watch, and 2020 releases of the software program that run on them. So long as your Apple Watch isn’t really historical, it ought to help this. (For those who’re trying to purchase a brand new Apple Watch, although, we advocate the Sequence 10 because the greatest Apple Look ahead to most individuals.)
The place to seek out the Apple Watch Sleep app
You’ll have to navigate to 4 completely different locations to entry the entire sleep-related options of your Watch and iPhone. (Three of them are on the cellphone.)
On the Apple Watch

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki/Apple
In your Watch, search for a mattress icon with a greenish-blue background. (Professional tip: You possibly can change this display screen to make use of the names of apps, alphabetized, somewhat than having to play cover and search with little icons.) While you open the Sleep app, scroll right down to test (or set) your sleep schedule. That is all that you must do with this app for setup; the Apple Watch will observe your sleep routinely even in case you by no means open this app once more.
Within the Well being app

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki/Apple
In your iPhone, the sleep features are a part of the Well being app. (There is no such thing as a devoted Sleep app.) Open the Well being app, faucet Browse, then faucet Sleep. From right here, you’ll be able to view knowledge on current nights of sleep, and set your sleep schedule for the long run.
On the backside of this display screen, you’ll be able to edit your subsequent sleep schedule or your full sleep schedule (the one which repeats each day and weekly). This tells your cellphone whenever you’re planning on sleeping. Faucet Full Schedule & Choices to set that schedule, and scroll right down to the underside for the following step.
Within the Watch app

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki/Apple
To ensure your watch will observe your sleep, that you must configure your Watch-specific sleep settings within the Watch app. The simplest approach to entry this from the Well being app (faucet Full Schedule & Choices from the Sleep display screen), and on the backside of that display screen, there’s a hyperlink to Handle Sleep within the Apple Watch App. Faucet that, and also you’ll go straight to these Watch settings.
Activate “Observe Sleep with Apple Watch” to allow monitoring, and activate “Charging Reminders” so the Watch can notify you to cost it earlier than bedtime in case your battery is low within the night.
Within the Settings app
We’re not fairly completed. Within the Settings app, you’ll be able to arrange your Sleep Focus. That is elective for monitoring, but it surely offers you entry to specialised house screens and notification settings that can activate at bedtime. There’s a hyperlink from right here again to the settings app. (Hey, this can be complicated, however at the least it’s simple to navigate from every app to the others.)
How you can arrange your Apple Watch to document your sleep
You possibly can absolutely discover all of the sleep-related options by the apps I discussed above, however right here is the quick model. Do this stuff and also you’ll have your Watch recording your sleep tonight:
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Arrange a Sleep schedule (Well being app > Sleep > Full Schedule & Choices).
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Faucet Handle Sleep With Apple Watch on the backside of that display screen. (This sends you to the Watch app.)
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Activate Observe Sleep with Apple Watch.
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Put on your Apple Watch to mattress. It needs to be unlocked, and if in case you have a passcode, you’ll need wrist detection turned on.
The Apple Watch will use the sleep schedule (or Sleep Focus, which you’ll activate manually) to know whenever you would possibly be sleeping. Throughout this time, it makes use of your actions and your cellphone use, to detect whether or not you’re sleeping, and to estimate when you find yourself in every stage of sleep.
How you can learn your outcomes from the Apple Watch sleep app
To see your sleep in your watch, scroll down from the primary watch face (utilizing the digital crown, or swipe up along with your finger) and you will see a card in your Good Stack with the earlier evening’s sleep. Faucet this to open the Sleep app, which is able to present you your sleep levels, time asleep, final 14 days’ sleep, and your sleep schedule settings.

Credit score: Beth Skwarecki
You may also see this info anytime you go to the Sleep app in your watch, or the Sleep part of the Well being app in your cellphone. (For those who get up earlier than your sleep schedule ends, chances are you’ll want to attend till your scheduled sleep time is completed earlier than the info turns into accessible.)
Your sleep knowledge, on both the watch or cellphone, will present your sleep levels represented with deep sleep on the backside in purple, “core” (that’s, gentle) sleep within the center in blue, REM greater up in lighter blue, and awake in orange on the prime. (That stated, no wearable goes to be fully correct in the case of sleep levels, so don’t learn an excessive amount of into these.)
The app may also present you your coronary heart price in the course of the evening, your sleep pattern (mine says “You slept a mean of seven hr 22 min during the last 7 days”), and month-to-month and yearly highlights exhibiting whether or not you’re getting roughly sleep than up to now.