Apps to monitor your sleep with the Apple Watch

Since watchOS7, you can track your sleep on the Apple Watch. The new Sleep app indicates your bed time and alarm time. By setting up sleep schedules, you can reach your sleep goals more easily and you can be sure you get enough sleep. The app tracks how long you sleep, but also how long you lie in bed without sleeping. The Watch tracks this by measuring your activity on your iPhone or Watch.

You can download Sleep++ for free via the App Store. Before you go to sleep, turn on the app on your Apple Watch. Sleep++ uses the motion sensors of the Apple Watch to measure your sleep. We recommend that you put your smartwatch in airplane mode at night to save battery. In the morning, you can stop the sleep reading with the push of a button. The Apple Watch displays the processed data in a clear chart. You can see how long you've slept and when you were awake, both in percentage and minutes.

You can download AutoSleep in the App Store on your Apple Watch and on your iPhone. This means you can view the readings both on your iPhone and on your Apple Watch. Unlike Sleep++, AutoSleep monitors how you move in bed, but also how your heart rate fluctuates during the night. The app uses this information to estimate when you were in deep or light sleep. Combined with the indicated number of hours as a sleep you need, the app rates your sleep quality with a percentage. Prefer to sleep without a watch? You can also measure your sleep that way. That way, the app only registers how long you've slept and not the quality of your sleep.

The Pillow app gives you detailed readings of your sleep, but also wakes you at the ideal time. If Pillow observes light sleep in the morning close to when your alarm is set, the app sounds an alarm at that moment. That way, you'll wake up well-rested. The readings start and stop completely automatically. Do you want to see your sleep history, listen to your own snoring, or check your sleeping heart rate? You can also do this with Pillow. You do need a subscription for that.

You sleep several hours each night, but do you rest well enough during those hours? The SleepWatch app assesses this for you. The app determines the quality of your sleep based on the time, your heart rate, and the stages of your sleep. You can easily view this data in daily reports and sleep trends.