Fitness trackers and wearable heart rate monitors have exploded in popularity over the years. But did you know that many trackers can also shed light on your quality of sleep? The features on the best sleep trackers (2020) vary, but most of them share common capabilities. Many will track sleep quality by noting when you fall asleep and when you wake in the morning. They may also track how much time you spend in each sleep stage or how often you toss and turn. This data can help you understand important sleep patterns. Do you get better, more restful sleep if you shift your bedtime or wake time? Are you more restless if you sleep after skipping a workout that day? Sleep quality tracker data can be used to figure out your sleep patterns and habits so you can work towards getting better sleep.

What Makes the Best Sleep Quality Trackers?

There are dozens (hundreds?) of sleep cycle trackers out there. If you’re looking for the BEST sleep tracker for 2020, the brand is less important than its features. When we're looking for a sleep tracker, we want something that reports not only your total sleep but your sleep cycles. The amount of deep sleep, light sleep, REM sleep, and awake hours are just as important as your total amount of sleep. Your data should look a little something like the image below. This screenshot is courtesy of RestoreZ founder, Mary Marbach, from before she started using RestoreZ natural sleep supplements. While we don't think brand is the most important consideration to make with a sleep cycle tracker, there are some brands we like because they offer the most important features. Here's what made our shortlist - but we're always open to hearing about your favorites!

Fitbit

Fitbit is known for its fitness and activity tracking features, but did you know that some versions record your sleep data, too? TheFitbit Versa 2 is a popular model. The wearable wrist tracker gathers insight on your sleep quality based on your heart rate, time spent asleep, and restlessness at night. The Fitbit app can also show you how much time you spend in each sleep stage: awake, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM. Plus, you can compare your own average sleep quality to others in your demographic. The Fitbit Versa 2 isn’t bulky or obtrusive, but if you’re not used to wearing accessories to bed, you may prefer a more slender sleep tracker for your wrist. There’s also theFitbit Alta HR, which has a sleeker, smaller design. Though Alta’s small size means some features and activity tracking are left out, you still get detailed sleep insights on the Fitbit App like you would with the Versa 2.

Garmin

Like Fitbit, navigation and wearable tech company Garmin has its own line of fitness and activity trackers. Thevívosmart 4 is the best of the bunch when it comes to sleep monitoring and insights. This sleep cycle tracker records your light, deep, and REM stages of sleep, as well as how much you move throughout the night. You can even turn on the Pulse Ox feature to check your blood oxygen levels during sleep, helping you understand how your body is absorbing oxygen. When you wake, you can review your stats in the Garmin Connect App and track changes over time.

Apple Watch

If you have an Apple Watch and would prefer not to get a separate sleep quality tracker, there’s good news: you can use your Apple Watch to track sleep, even if the feature isn’t provided by Apple itself. You can use a workaround by finding a third-party app from the App Store as well as your iPhone. Just remember to enable Theater Mode on your watch, so the lit screen won’t wake you up every time you move your arm in bed. As for third-party apps, we likeAutoSleep Tracker, which records your time asleep, time awake, heart rate, and restlessness. There’s alsoSleep Watch, one of the most popular sleep tracking apps in the store. It records typical sleep data, in addition to sleep disruptions, average sleeping heart rate, heart rate dips, and more.

Beautyrest Sleeptracker Monitor

Prefer a sleep quality tracker you don’t have to wear? TheBeautyrest Sleeptracker is a measuring pad that sits under your mattress. It analyzes and monitors respiration, heart rate, body movement, wakefulness, and more. The recorded data is sent to a smartphone app where you can review their interpretations of the data, plus advice for improving your sleep quality. Plus, if you share your bed with your partner, Beautyrest can monitor two sleepers at once!

Put the best sleep quality trackers to the test with RestoreZ

The best sleep trackers of 2020 can give you valuable insight into your sleep habits by tracking sleep quality, but knowing is only half the battle. Once you know you have a sleep issue, RestoreZ can helpyou solve it.RestoreZ offers a line of natural sleep aids that help support different sleep issues. Sleep challenges vary from person to person, so RestoreZ developed several products to help solve some of the most common dyssomnias. Whether your issue is falling asleep, staying asleep or getting truly deep sleep, RestoreZ natural sleep aids can help.

Before and After RestoreZ Natural Sleep Supplements

If you're of an "I'll believe it when I see it" kind of person, here are some before and after screenshots of RestoreZ founder, Mary Marbach's sleep patterns. The top is before RestoreZ, and the bottom is after having used Stay Asleep for a year. We're always looking for your sleep stories - share your sleep cycles with us anytime by emailing mary@restorez.com.