World Sleep Society recommendations on wearable sleep trackers aim to empower consumers and clinicians, and foster industry partnership
Published: 25 Apr 2025
Millions worldwide who turn to wearable devices for sleep insights are set to benefit from recommendations on the use of wearable consumer health trackers (CHTs) for sleep measurement released by the World Sleep Society.
Led by Professor Michael Chee, Director of the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), the international team of sleep experts from the US, Australia, Europe and Singapore, took into consideration, industry input, critique from clinicians and previous position papers to develop recommendations published in Sleep Medicine that provide clear and practical points for consumers, clinicians, researchers, and manufacturers, to tap the potential of wearable consumer health trackers (CHTs) in an evidence-guided manner.
Once primarily used for fitness tracking, CHTs are now used by many to monitor sleep timing, regularity, and duration. Used regularly, CHTs serve as a “sleep minder,” offering a continuous diary of sleep habits, providing insights into sleep patterns over extended periods on a scale previously not possible. By doing so they can assist in the maintenance or improvement of mood, heart health, brain function, and immunity for millions. However, the accuracy of different devices can vary significantly, depending on the quality and or configuration of their sensors, and the algorithms used to interpret the data. The measures used are also not standardised.
Key takeaways for consumers would be to purchase a device that suits their use case, focus on fundamental sleep measures (among a growing array of these)—such as sleep timing and regularity which can be directly acted on—rather than obsessing over nightly measurements of specific stages like Deep or Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep which are not. Users are encouraged to reflect on their pre-sleep routines and experiment with changes, with regular tracking enabling them to discover which habits lead to better fundamental sleep measures. Over time, and in recognition of inter-individual differences in sleep need, a person could learn how to customise their sleep beyond what general guidelines suggest.
Beyond individual benefits, wearable sleep trackers will redefine what “normal” sleep looks like. By collecting data over long periods and across diverse communities, these devices reveal how factors like culture, work schedules, and even nighttime light or noise affect sleep. Advances in big data analysis and artificial intelligence will further enable the personalisation sleep recommendations, moving beyond one-size-fits-all advice.
Read more in the press release here.
