Evaluating Accuracy in Five Commercial Sleep-Tracking Devices Compared to Research-Grade Actigraphy and Polysomnography

Jan 26, 2024Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)

How Accurate Five Popular Sleep Trackers Are Compared to Research Sleep Monitoring Methods

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Abstract

Fifty-three young adults were monitored overnight using five consumer sleep-tracking devices alongside research-grade actigraphy and polysomnography.

  • Every device, except the Garmin Vivosmart, estimated total sleep time comparably to research-grade actigraphy.
  • All devices tended to overestimate nights with shorter wake times and underestimate nights with longer wake times.
  • The Fitbit Inspire and Fitbit Versa had low absolute bias for light sleep.
  • The Withings Mat and Garmin Vivosmart overestimated shorter light sleep while underestimating longer light sleep.
  • The Oura Ring consistently underestimated light sleep across all durations.
  • Bias was low for deep sleep in the Withings Mat and Garmin Vivosmart, while other devices showed varied biases.

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Key numbers

5.3%
Mean Absolute Percent Error for Total Sleep Time
Lowest mean absolute percent error was for Fitbit Versa
138.5%
Mean Absolute Percent Error for Wake After Sleep Onset
Highest mean absolute percent error was for Fitbit Versa
53
Sample Size
Participants were healthy young adults aged 18–30 years

Full Text

What this is

  • This research evaluates the accuracy of five consumer sleep-tracking devices against research-grade actigraphy and polysomnography (PSG).
  • Fifty-three young adults participated in a one-night lab study where their sleep was monitored using both consumer devices and PSG.
  • Findings indicate that most devices can estimate total sleep time comparably to research-grade actigraphy, but biases exist in sleep stage estimates.

Essence

  • Most consumer sleep-tracking devices can estimate total sleep time accurately compared to research-grade actigraphy, but they struggle with precise sleep stage classification.

Key takeaways

  • All devices, except the Garmin Vivosmart, estimated total sleep time comparably to research-grade actigraphy. This indicates that consumer devices can be viable alternatives for measuring total sleep duration.
  • Biases in sleep stage estimates varied by device and sleep stage. For example, the Fitbit Inspire and Versa slightly overestimated light sleep, while the Oura Ring underestimated it. Such biases could affect the utility of these devices for sleep analysis.
  • The accuracy of wake detection was notably low across all devices, with significant overestimations of wake times. This highlights a critical limitation in the reliability of consumer sleep-tracking technologies.

Caveats

  • Devices were only tested for one night, which may not reflect their accuracy over longer periods. Variability in performance could occur across different nights.
  • The sample lacked diversity, limiting the generalizability of findings across different racial and ethnic groups. Future studies should include more varied populations.
  • Rapid advancements in consumer devices may outpace the current evaluations, meaning newer models could perform differently than those tested.

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