Get a handle on your sleep health with the best sleep trackers for 2025, tested and reviewed

Whenever I'm in a social or work setting, someone inevitably comments on the amount of content I manage to churn out daily. My usual response? A half-joking, "Well, it's amazing how productive you get when sleep is just a distant memory!" But beneath the humor lies a serious issue — insomnia, fueled by skyrocketing anxiety. My sleepless nights have driven me to research every possible method to improve sleep, from tweaking my sleep environment to revamping my bedtime routine. If this sounds like you, make this Sleep Awareness Week a time you take control of your sleep hygiene.

Sleep trackers were never on my radar — after all, what's the point of tracking something you barely do? However, after some research, I realized that a sleep tracker might be just what I needed to identify and tackle my sleep problems. Much like keeping a food diary to monitor eating habits, sleep trackers provide valuable information on how we sleep and how we can sleep better. Whether it's a wearable ring, a wristband or a discreet mat under the mattress, there's a tracker to fit every need.

According to the experts we spoke with, understanding our sleep patterns is essential for improving them. Sleep trackers can reveal how long we sleep, how much deep sleep we get and what interrupts our rest, such as late-night exercise or heavy meals, says Dr. Jan Stritzke, medical director of Lanserhof Sylt and expert in sleep medicine and biorhythms. He emphasizes that healthy sleep is important for a healthy life. "It prevents premature diseases such as heart attack and stroke and slows down the aging process," he says.

That said, while these devices provide interesting information that you can use to make informed decisions about your sleep habits and hygiene, it's important to understand the information they provide are estimates. "Most devices track the time you're inactive and use this data in proprietary algorithms with other information such as heart rate and body temperature as a surrogate marker for sleep," says Dr. Audrey Wells, a sleep medicine adviser at cpap.com.

Rather than thinking of the information the tracker provides as infallible data, think of it as a way to monitor habits over time. "Sleep trackers help bring attention to your sleep habits, enabling you to make more conscious choices about your sleep health," says Wells. Consistently using a tracker can help establish a baseline to better understand your sleep patterns, allowing you to make changes to improve your nighttime routine. Ultimately, this can lead to better rest and more energy throughout the day.

"When selecting a sleep monitoring device, factors such as comfort, user friendliness and the specific data you wish to monitor should be taken into account," says Dr. Joel Warsh, pediatrician and author of Parenting at Your Child's Pace. After all, if you don't like the sleep tracker you're using, you're not going to keep using it.

That's where Yahoo Life decided to jump in and help out. In an effort to gauge and monitor my own sleep habits, I started exploring the effectiveness of sleep trackers by interviewing six experts, including medical professionals, sleep scientists and authors. I then conducted thorough research on wearable and nonwearable options. Ultimately, I tested 10 of the most popular and reputable products to see how they worked, the metrics they tracked, whether they were comfortable and easy to use and if I felt their use helped improve my sleep routine. The goal was to understand the full scope of the sleep tracker market and to bring you the best sleep trackers available. Here are our top picks.

Table of contents

Update, Mar. 10, 2025: We checked all product prices and availability. Our number one pick for best sleep tracker remains unchanged.

Related: For more ideas to improve your sleep hygiene, check out our lists of the best blackout curtains and shades and the best sleep masks to cut down on ambient light in your sleeping space. If sound is more your concern, take a look at our roundups of the best headphones for sleeping, the best white noise machines and the best earplugs for sleeping. If you want to try one of the best sleep aids you can take without a prescription, we have a list for that too. We've also rounded up lists of the best alarm clocks, including alarm clocks for heavy sleepers, and a list of the best sunrise alarm clocks that help you wake up more naturally.

Best sleep tracker overall

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More sleep trackers we like for 2025

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Factors to consider when choosing a sleep tracker

According to Dr. Carlos M. Nunez, chief medical officer at ResMed, sleep tracking is gaining popularity globally, with a recent report indicating that 36% of adults surveyed currently track their sleep, and a significant portion of them do so every night or most nights.

Sleep trackers can be valuable tools for enhancing sleep quality, but choosing the right one requires careful consideration of various factors.

• Type: Sleep trackers generally fall into two categories: wearable and nonwearable devices, with each type offering unique features and benefits.

  • Wearable sleep trackers come in various forms, including headbands, smartwatches, rings and wristbands. Smartwatches, worn on the wrist, offer more than just sleep tracking — they allow you to text, check email, use social media and more. Wristbands, on the other hand, are focused primarily on tracking sleep, fitness and health data. Ring trackers are the most discreet option, similar in size to a wedding band, and can track biometrics throughout the day and night. They are also commonly used for fitness tracking. Headbands are typically geared specifically to sleep tracking and are worn across the forehead. While they often offer more accurate data, they tend to be less popular as some people find them uncomfortable to wear.

  • Bedside or mattress sleep trackers: Since sleep tracking naturally involves the bed, there are many mattress-centric options available. These include smart mattresses, under-mattress tracking mats and bedside tracking devices, all designed to monitor your sleep patterns without the need to wear anything.

• Tracking accuracy: The effectiveness of a sleep tracker depends on the accuracy of the data it collects. "When in the market for a sleep or health tracker, it's useful to do the necessary research into the device you are looking for and what capabilities will satisfy your unique health needs," says Nunez.

  Many trackers measure a range of data, including total time in bed, sleep latency (how long it takes you to fall asleep after turning off the lights) and sleep efficiency. However, it's important to focus on tracking data relevant to your health goals, which usually means taking a wider focus of the overall results, rather than getting caught up in the nitty-gritty. "Many users aren't tracking the right information and can end up fixating or misinterpreting the data rather than observing the larger trends that these trackers can help to uncover," says Nunez.

  One thing to keep in mind is that generally, a device needs to be in contact with your body to be able to provide more accurate data. Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a double board-certified expert in psychiatry and sleep medicine, says, "The closer the tracker is to the brain, the more accurate the data. While most people won’t sleep with a head-mounted device, options like mattress pads, watches and rings offer practical and reasonably accurate solutions." He adds that to categorically know what stage of sleep someone is in, EEG or brainwave data is necessary. Most sleep trackers don't offer this information. "For most of these devices, the more sensors, the better, as they are all trying to infer sleep and sleep stages based on non-EEG data — like heart rate, movement, breathing, temperature and heart rate variability," he says.

• Security: When dealing with devices that record, store and share personal data, it's crucial to consider how that information is managed. "As we continue to see the role of emerging technologies like generative AI expand, there is a significant amount of data entering the consumer health and wellness space," says Nunez. Choosing a sleep tracker that's transparent about its data usage and committed to security will ensure your personal information remains safe and allow you to maximize the benefits of the device.
  

• Comfort and convenience: Comfort and convenience are key factors when selecting a sleep tracker. The device should seamlessly fit into your sleep routine without causing any discomfort or disturbances. For instance, some sleep trackers are designed to be worn on the head, which can be intrusive and may actually interfere with your ability to fall asleep or stay asleep. While they may be more accurate, accuracy becomes less important if you're unlikely to actually use the device.

  Additionally, if a sleep tracker uses LED lights, the brightness can be disruptive, especially for light-sensitive sleepers.

• Data insights and analysis: Not all sleep trackers track the same metrics or display the data in the same way. Consider the information gathered and provided to you by the device or app as well as any tips or resources the product provides for improving sleep based on your results. For instance, many sleep trackers provide data on the number of hours you spend sleeping, how many times you wake at night (and for how long), your heart rate or blood oxygen saturation, how long it takes you to fall asleep and the time you spend in various sleep stages. Think about which metrics you want to track and make sure the product you're selecting offers this information.
  

• Features: When considering features, it's essential to decide whether you prefer a watch-like device, a ring or another form of sleep tracker. Each type offers its own set of advantages. "Some sleep trackers have more user-friendly platforms compared to others, and sometimes the tracker is grouped with other functionalities inside one device, such as a watch," says Wells.

  This means you could have a device that not only tracks your sleep but also monitors other health metrics, like how many steps you take each day or your heart rate variability. The key is to determine what you value most in tracking your sleep quality — whether it's the convenience of an all-in-one device, the unobtrusiveness of a ring or the simplicity of a dedicated sleep tracker.

• Battery life: If you have to charge the device daily or after every use, it may affect how frequently you use it, ultimately impacting its effectiveness in tracking your sleep data. Therefore, it's important to look for a device with a battery life that suits your routine, allowing you to track your sleep consistently without the inconvenience of frequent recharging.
  

• Price: The ideal price point for a tracker is going to depend on features, value and budget. "People often start with a budget range to narrow the options for a personal sleep tracker," says Wells.

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How we tested the best sleep trackers

We started our research to identify the best sleep trackers by consulting six experts in sleep science including doctors and sleep researchers. These experts explained which features to look for in a sleep tracker and how to know whether a device is providing high-quality information. We then researched more than 20 popular items, choosing to personally test 10 stand-out products based on expert input, user reviews and brand reputation.

When evaluating sleep trackers, we focused on analyzing a few key factors: the accuracy and depth of data each tracker provides, any additional features, ease of setup and use, as well as price, overall value and battery life.

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FAQs

How accurate are sleep trackers?

The accuracy of a sleep tracker depends on the device itself, the data it's using to estimate sleep metrics and how it's interpreting the data. Generally speaking, sleep trackers that are worn on the forehead and monitor EEG data are more accurate than other options. That said, they tend to be less comfortable, so are frequently a less popular choice. Other sleep trackers are calibrated using sleep lab data. "These trackers have a surprisingly high level of accuracy. And they do this with much less effort and cost than a sleep lab test," says Stritzke. The universal applicability of these devices is a major advantage, especially since sleep disorders are quite common but often go undetected until it's too late in clinical settings.

Can sleep trackers diagnose sleep disorders?

Sleep trackers can help identify sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea, but diagnosis itself should be left to a medical professional. If the sleep data you receive while using a tracker points to frequent wakings, difficulty falling or staying asleep or low levels of oxygen saturation, it's important to address these with your doctor. "Sleep trackers can help to identify these generally under-diagnosed disorders at an earlier stage, allowing patients to receive treatment," says Stritzke.

What can I do with the data from my sleep tracker?

The data from your sleep tracker offers valuable insight into your lifestyle and how it affects your sleep. By analyzing this information, you can make meaningful adjustments to your daily routine that improve both your nighttime rest and daytime energy.

Stritzke explains that a tracker can help you understand how your body reacts to alcohol, how you sleep after a heavy meal and more. For instance, if you notice you fall asleep more quickly after a night of drinking, but that you wake frequently or have longer periods of wakefulness after initially falling asleep, that could indicate that alcohol is interfering with the overall quality of your sleep. "A good sleep tracker will identify problems and give you tips on how to improve your sleep," he adds. These insights empower you to make informed decisions that can lead to better overall health and well-being.

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Other sleep trackers we tested

• Fitbit Charge 6: This was a great wearable and would have been at the top of the class if not in the same testing cycle as the Oura and the Whoop. Strong in its own right, the Fitbit Charge 6 is your all-around wellness tracker. "When it comes to sleep, it's like having a basic but reliable assistant that breaks down your night into sleep stages — light, deep and REM — giving you a snapshot of how well you slept," says Petkus. It's ideal for those who want a straightforward, easy-to-understand overview of their sleep patterns without getting too deep into the weeds.
  

• Apple Watch Series 9: We already had an Apple Watch in the house, but we hadn't been using it much for sleep tracking — mostly for everything else it offers. While the Apple Watch Series 9 comes with fantastic features like ECG, sleep tracking and temperature sensing, its sleep tracking metrics are actually less detailed and intensive compared to other smartwatches and wearables we reviewed.
  

• Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen): This was another smart device that we had at home but were not using for this purpose until we started to test sleep trackers. It has a supplemental sleep sensing feature that works based on sound and motion sensors, and it can track sleep data, sleep interruptions and sleep cycles, and even heart rate and breathing data. However, since it's not a wearable, it lacks the detailed sleep insights that some other devices provide. Additionally, if there's more than one person (or pets) near the bed, the results can be skewed.
  

• Calm app: While not a sleep tracking app in the technical sense, there's no doubt this tool really helps improve quality sleep — and that's the whole point, isn't it? It offers soothing meditations and sounds that are meant to, well, calm. As far as sleep tracking, the app does offer a "sleep check-in" opt-in, which tracks nightly sleep quality and patterns as a way of improving sleep health.

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Best sleep tracker specs comparison chart

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Meet our experts

• Dr. Alex Dimitriu, double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine

• Dr. Jan Stritzke, medical director of Lanserhof Sylt and an expert in sleep medicine and biorhythms

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