Her Fitbit Told Her She Was Losing Almost an Hour of Sleep a Night Without Realizing It
4 min read · RealCase summary
Zahra Barnes tested Fitbit's Premium Sleep Profile feature for two months using a Fitbit Inspire 3, in a piece published December 20, 2022. The profile tracks 10 metrics — sleep schedule variability, start time, time before sound sleep, duration, deep sleep, REM sleep, restorative sleep, stability, nights with long awakenings, and nap frequency — and classified her as a "Giraffe," the most common sleep-animal type among users.
Her average sleep score held essentially steady, rising just one point from 81 in month one to 82 in month two despite increased travel disruptions during that stretch.
The more useful finding, she said, was discovering she was spending 35 to 55 minutes awake during the night — time that "really added up" and cut into her rest even though she'd assumed she understood her sleep duration well. She used the profile alongside the app's Smart Wake alarm, breathing exercises, and guided meditations.
Key takeaways
- ›Fitbit's Sleep Profile revealed she was sleeping 40-55 minutes less per night than she believed
- ›Adopted Smart Wake (waking at an optimal point in her sleep cycle) instead of multiple snoozes
- ›Added guided breathing/meditation on hard-to-sleep nights and more daytime activity; average sleep score rose from 81 to 82 over 2 months
Original source
Read the original (Google Blog)
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