Wearable devices for estimating sleep and heart rate

An article recently published in the Sensor journal in August delved into the examination of the accuracy of six commonly used wearable devices (namely, the Apple Watch, Garmin, Polar, Oura, WHOOP, and Somfit) in assessing sleep quality. These technologies are designed to keep tabs on sleep patterns, heart rate, and related parameters. While laboratory-based polysomnography (PSG) remains the gold standard for measuring sleep, it's worth noting that PSG can be impractical for monitoring sleep in real-world settings due to its high cost. In such instances, the most frequently employed alternative to PSG is actigraphy, which combines the use of activity monitors with sleep/wake diaries.
The study involved 53 healthy young adults who took part in the research. Each participant spent a night at The Sleep Lab, organized in groups of four, with a 9-hour window for sleep, lights off. All of the tested devices successfully detected over 90% of sleep epochs. Notably, Polar, Oura, WHOOP, and Somfit demonstrated superior performance in identifying wake epochs compared to the Apple Watch and Garmin. As a result, the authors of the study concluded that it's reasonable to expect that newer models from these manufacturers will perform at least as well, if not better, than their older counterparts.