Fitbit Windows 10 app gets new update for tracking your sleep cycle

Fitbit has rolled out new features to its Windows 10 UWP app that let you track, analyze, and improve your sleep. The Sleep Stages and Sleep Insights tools, which launched earlier this month, will now allow you to track your sleep with accuracy and more details.

The Sleep Stages feature works with the new Alta HR, Blaze and Charge 2. Sleep Insights, on the other hand, is comatible with all trackers except the Zip.

Sleep Stages

In its blog post announcing the new features, Fitbit explains that the Sleep Stages tool combines data from your movement and the heart rate sensor to help you see the span of time you spend in light, deep and REM sleep.  It only works with the Alta HR, Blaze, and Charge 2.

• Light Sleep (including sleep stages 1 and 2) occurs throughout the night and is important for memory, learning, and letting your body recover from the day; for most people it is 50-60 percent of your night.
• Deep Sleep (sleep stage 3) promotes a healthy immune system and muscle growth and repair; for most people it is 10-25 percent of your night (depending on age).
• Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep is when most dreaming occurs and is important for mental recovery and memory formation; for most people it is 20-25 percent of your night. Most REM sleep comes at the end of the night, and is often the stage that’s cut short when your sleep duration decreases.
• Awake minutes (between 10-30 times per night) are a normal part of your sleep cycle each night, and is typically when your heart rate is more elevated during sleep.

Sleep Insights

The Sleep Insights tool offers suggestions for exercise to get more sleep by combining your sleep data with your diet and fitness activities.

Sleep Insights relies heavily on your sleep logs, so the more you wear your tracker to bed, the more personalized insights you may receive. Hopefully, by better understanding your sleep patterns—and what affects them—you’ll be empowered to make lifestyle changes that can help improve your sleep (and overall health and wellbeing) over time.

Sleep Stages and Sleep Insights are now available in the latest update to the Windows 10 app.