A recent study by researchers at the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, led by Professor Michael Chee and Assistant Professor Ju Lynn Ong, sheds light on the effectiveness of various wearable sleep-tracking devices.
Published in Sleep Health, this study approaches the evaluation of sleep trackers from the perspective of general users focused on health improvement, contrasting with the more technical approach often taken by researchers and clinicians.
In the study, 60 participants aged 18 to 70 tested six different sleep tracking devices, comparing their performance against polysomnography (PSG), a gold standard for sleep measurement used in clinical settings. The devices fell into four distinct categories:
Research-grade EEG headbands, which closely approximate the sleep staging of PSG but are not widely available for purchase were found to be uncomfortable for some participants.
Research actigraphs, which determine sleep based on limb movement. While favored by some researchers, their performance may not surpass that of advanced consumer wearables.
Multi-sensor consumer sleep trackers, including wrist-worn and ring-based devices, use a combination of motion, heart rate, temperature sensors, and predictive modeling. These trackers showed superior performance, with most readings being accurate for individuals with good sleep efficiency.
Low-cost wrist-worn multi-sensor devices demonstrated poor performance, particularly in detecting wakefulness, with only 33% accuracy.
The study revealed that research-grade EEG headbands performed the best in sleep stage classification.
However, for most users who are relatively healthy and looking to monitor their sleep patterns for maintenance or improvement, non-EEG wearables like the multi-sensor trackers are more suitable.
These devices focus on sleep/wake detection, which is more relevant for lifestyle modifications.
It’s essential for consumers to understand that despite similar sensors and displays, not all wearable sleep trackers are created equal.
The study highlights that technical differences significantly distinguish high-quality devices from others. Selecting a reputable, iteratively improved non-EEG wearable device is advisable for those seeking to track their sleep habits.
This research emphasizes the importance of considering individual needs and the specific goals of users when choosing a sleep tracker, especially for those without significant sleep issues who wish to monitor and potentially improve their sleep habits.
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The research findings can be found in Sleep Health.
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