Fitbit has released a simple yet powerful set of sleep tools to help users improve their sleep consistency and overall health.
Sleep plays a critical role in health and wellbeing, from protecting against cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, to boosting neurocognitive functions, mental health and longevity.
Fitbit’s new Sleep Schedule feature helps guide users to get a more consistent pattern of sleep with:
* Personalised sleep goals based on sleep data to achieve optimal amount of sleep each night;
* Customised bedtime and wakeup targets to establish sleep consistency; and
* Reminders to stay on schedule, and a sleep schedule history to chart progress.
These tools are the first in a series of new sleep features being developed in collaboration with Fitbit’s new panel of leading sleep experts that includes Dr Michael Grandner at the University of Arizona, Dr Allison Siebern at Stanford University, and Dr Michael Smith at Johns Hopkins University.
The Fitbit app is a vital part of the Fitbit platform – consisting of devices, apps, social and motivational features, advice and personalised coaching – which is continually getting smarter and easier to use with features like automatic sleep tracking and exercise recognition to ease tracking of health and fitness.
The Fitbit platform helps people make behavioural changes to be more active, exercise more, eat smarter, track their sleep and manage their weight. While many people understand the benefits and importance of a good night’s sleep for their health, getting enough sleep (seven to nine hours) and regularly going to bed around the same time each night can be a challenge.
According to Fitbit’s sleep experts, adhering to a consistent sleep routine is one of the most important things people can do to improve their sleep. “If you’re constantly changing your sleep routine, it can have the same effect as giving yourself jetlag because you are continually changing your circadian rhythm, also known as your internal clock, which can negatively impact your health and wellness,” says Dr Michael Grandner.
“To improve your physical performance, mental health and cognitive functions, you should aim to get a sufficient amount of sleep each night and be consistent with the times you go to sleep and wake up each day.
“Fitbit’s new Sleep Schedule tool makes it easier for people to see how much sleep they’re actually getting in order to establish a healthy routine – this has the potential to help millions of people around the world improve their sleep and overall wellbeing, which is really exciting,” he adds.
Research has shown that getting enough sleep can also positively impact how much you exercise the next day and is vital to post-training recovery, playing an integral role in the body’s ability to repair itself.
Fitbit data also shows a correlation between consistent bedtimes and daily active minutes, especially for users who go to bed early each night. Users who sleep an average of seven to nine hours nightly also have a lower body mass index (BMI) than those who sleep only three to four hours per night, while those who are overweight or obese (BMI over 25) on average sleep over an hour (70 minutes) less per week than those with a normal BMI (BMI of 18,5 to 25).
“What’s great about the new Fitbit Sleep Schedule feature is that it looks at your sleep data from your Fitbit device you’re wearing day and night, analyses it for patterns and creates a personalised schedule just for you,” says Tim Roberts, executive vice-president: interactive at Fitbit.
“This is a great example of how we’re providing guidance using Fitbit data to help millions of people develop healthier habits and routines, and is just the first in a series of new sleep features that we’re working on to help our users improve their health through data and coaching.”
The new Sleep Schedule features on the Fitbit app will help users meet sleep goals and maintain a more consistent pattern of sleep through tools like Sleep Goal, Bedtime and Wake Up Targets, Bedtime and Wake Up Reminders; and Sleep Schedule History Chart.
