How to track sleep on Apple Watch

Things to know:

• With watchOS 9, Apple has improved the efficiency of sleep tracking.
• Apple Watch should have more than 30 percent charge to use this feature.
• You can get sleep-tracking data from the Sleep app on your iPhone and Apple Watch.

Experiencing the Apple ecosystem is bliss for many, thanks to how each device is integrated. Individually, all have their specialties because of the integrated hardware and software features. If you own an Apple Watch, you may have heard about the new and improved sleep tracking with watchOS 9.

So how can you use your Apple Watch to track sleep? Well, that’s what we are going to explore in this guide.

• How does sleep tracking work on Apple Watch?
• Set up Sleep app on Apple Watch
• How to enable Sleep Tracking on Apple Watch
• View your recent sleep data on Apple Watch
• View your sleep data on iPhone
• Create, change, or delete sleep schedule on Apple Watch
• Create, edit or delete sleep schedule on iPhone
• Change Sleep options on Apple Watch
• How to turn off Sleep Tracking on Apple Watch

How does sleep tracking work on Apple Watch?

Sleep tracking is a feature integrated with the Sleep app on iPhone. With this app, you can use your Apple Watch for sleep tracking and get information such as the time spent on each sleep stage, REM, and even tips on improving your sleep.

Your Apple Watch will kick off sleep tracking depending on your motion data. Sleep tracking automatically occurs once you have activated the app and enabled the sleep schedule. Now that you know what sleep tracking is, let’s look at how you can set up and track sleep with watchOS 9.

Set up Sleep app on Apple Watch

To track your sleep using Apple Watch, you must first set up the Sleep app.

If you haven’t used the app yet, here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Sleep app on your Apple watch.
2. Tap Next.
3. Tap Enable.
   You can also select Skip if you want to set it up later.
4. Now, tap Next again.
   
   
5. Next, you will see the preview screen of your sleep schedule. Tap Done to confirm.
   
   

How to enable sleep tracking on Apple Watch

Before proceeding, make sure Sleep Tracking is toggled on your Apple Watch. Go to Settings → Sleep → toggle on Sleep Tracking.

Now, you need to enable a Sleep Schedule to start tracking your sleep. Here’s how you can do so:

1. Unlock your Apple Watch and open the Sleep app.
2. Scroll down and tap Full Schedule.
3. Toggle on Sleep Schedule.
   
   

View your recent sleep data on Apple Watch

When you wake up after every sleep, you can see the details regarding sleep on the Apple Watch. Here’s how you can view sleep-tracking data on Apple Watch:

1. Open the Sleep app on your Apple Watch
2. Scroll down, and you can see the amount of sleep you got the last night.

Besides that, you can also see the time spent in each sleep stage and the sleep average for the last 14 days.

View your sleep data on your iPhone

Along with Apple Watch, if you have paired it to an iPhone, you can access the sleep data from your iPhone. Here’s how:

1. Open the Health app.
2. Tap Browse.
3. Scroll down and tap Sleep.

Here, you can see your past couple of sleep and the option to see it based on week, month, and even past 6 months.

Create, change, or delete sleep schedule on Apple Watch

By default, there will be a sleep schedule. You can either change it or create a new one.

Create a new sleep schedule

1. Open the Sleep app.
2. If you are adding the schedule:
   • First time: Tap Set Your First Schedule.
   • If there’s already a schedule: Tap Add Schedule.
3. Add necessary information and tap Add.
   
   

Edit or delete sleep schedule

1. Open the Sleep app on your Apple Watch.
2. Scroll down and tap Full Schedule.
3. Here, you can do the following:
   • Change Schedule: If you have an existing schedule, select it and make the required changes.
   • Delete Schedule: Select the existing schedule, scroll down and tap Delete Schedule.
     
     

Create, edit or delete sleep schedule on iPhone

You can also create, change, or delete the sleep schedule on your iPhone. Here’s how:

Create sleep schedule

1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Browse.
3. Select Sleep.
4. Select Set Your First Schedule/Add under Your Schedule if you don’t have a sleep schedule.
5. Tap Full Schedule & Options and select Add Schedule if you want to add another schedule.
6. Add necessary information and tap Add.
   
   

Edit Sleep Schedule

1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Browse.
3. Select Sleep.
4. Tap Edit under the latest sleep schedule
   To edit any other sleep schedule, go to Full Schedule & Options.
   
   
5. Make necessary changes and tap Done.

Delete sleep schedule

1. Go to Health → Browse → Sleep.
2. Here, tap Full Schedule & Options.
3. Now, tap Edit under the schedule you want to delete.
4. Scroll down and tap Delete Schedule.
   
   

Change Sleep options on Apple Watch

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap Sleep.
3. Here, you can play around with the following settings:
   • Wind Down: Wind down is a feature that minimizes distractions around your bedtime by creating and maintaining a personalized evening routine based on your favorite meditation app, relaxing music, etc.
   • Sleep Screen: Use this to reduce distractions on your Apple Watch and iPhone Lock Screens.
   • Show Time: You will only see the date and time on your iPhone and Apple Watch while the Sleep Focus is active.
   • Charging Reminders: Turn this in if you want your Apple Watch to remind you to charge it before bedtime.

You can also change these sleep options on your iPhone. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone → tap My Watch → Sleep.

How to turn off Sleep Tracking on Apple Watch

There is no doubt that Apple users are privacy-focused, and while Apple is taking necessary measures to protect its user data, some things are done from the user side, too, to ensure your data stays with you.

While the sleep data stored in iCloud is encrypted, if you don’t want to store your sleep data anywhere, here’s how you can disable sleep tracking on your Apple watch.

1. Go to Settings → Sleep.
2. Here, toggle off Sleep Tracking.
   
   

By turning it off, your Apple Watch won’t track your sleep, share it with your iPhone or store the sleep data in iCloud.

That’s it!

Good sleep is a sign of a better lifestyle. With Sleep Tracking on Apple Watch, you can get clear data about your sleep and improve it using tips from the Health app on your iPhone. With this guide, I hope that I was able to solve all of your doubts regarding sleep tracking on the Apple Watch and iPhone. If you still have any doubts, drop them in the comments.

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