If you’re like most people, you probably spend a lot of time in your Apple Watch’s sleep tracking app. But if you’re new to the game, there are a few things you need to know before getting started. First and foremost, the Apple Watch doesn’t track sleep data by itself. It relies on your iPhone to do that. To track sleep data on your Apple Watch, you’ll need to set up a Sleep Tracker account on the iPhone app. Once you have an account, open the Sleep Tracker app and sign in with your Apple Watch’s email address and password. Once you’ve set up your Sleep Tracker account on the iPhone app, open theSleep Tracker settings on your Apple Watch and click on “Track Sleep Data.” You’ll then be able to select how often you want to track sleep data: daily or weekly. You can also choose whether or not to include automatic wakeups (when your phone wakes up after being inactive for a certain amount of time). Once you’ve selected how often you want to track sleep data, click “Create Account” and enter in your email address and password. You’ll then be able to start tracking sleep data!
Although you can set up sleep tracking on your Apple Watch, it’s much easier to do on your iPhone. First, make sure your iPhone is running iOS 14 or higher, and your Apple Watch is running watchOS 7 or higher. If not, the sleep tracking settings won’t be available.
To get started, tap and open the “Health” app on your iPhone. You can swipe down on the Home screen, and then use Spotlight Search to find it if necessary.
Next, tap the “Browse” tab, and then tap “Sleep.”
You can now schedule your bedtime routine. Having a set schedule helps your Apple Watch start monitoring for sleep activity. It also sets an automatic alarm to wake you in the morning.
Tap “Full Schedule & Options.”
In the “Full Schedule” section, tap “Set Your First Schedule.”
Choose which days of the week you want to use this schedule. Then, set your “Bedtime” and “Wake Up” times.
If you want to fine-tune your alarm, you can do so at the bottom. When you’re finished, tap “Add” at the top right.
You can add as many schedules as you want—just tap “Add Schedule for Other Days” to set more. Most people have one schedule for weekdays, and another for weekends.
When you’re done customizing your schedules, scroll down and set the “Sleep Goal,” “Wind Down,” and “Wind Down Shortcuts” settings. To proceed, tap “Options.”
You can then enable any settings you want in the “Sleep Mode” menu. You’ll likely want to toggle-On both the “Turn On Automatically” and “Track Time in Bed with iPhone” options.
After you do this, “Do Not Disturb” will turn on automatically whenever your iPhone is in Sleep Mode. This will mute all incoming notifications when you’re supposed to be sleeping.
Finally, scroll down and tap “Manage Sleep in the Apple Watch App.”
Enable all the settings you want. Again, you’ll want to toggle-On the “Turn On Automatically” and “Track Sleep with Apple Watch” options.
This will enable “Do Not Disturb” on your Watch and prevent the screen from lighting up while you’re asleep.
That’s it! You’ve now enabled sleep tracking on your Apple Watch. Head to bed, and your wearable will take care of everything else.
When you wake up, you can check the average amounts of time you were asleep and in bed in the iPhone “Health” app.
Unfortunately, the Apple Watch won’t be as accurate as a dedicated sleep-tracking device. However, you can get a rough idea of how well and how much you sleep—just don’t rely on this data if you have a serious medical condition.
RELATED: 20 Apple Watch Tips and Tricks You Need to Know
