How Do Your Sleep Habits Stack Up?

Recently, Fitbit research scientists looked at aggregated sleep data from over 10 million users in 2015* and noticed some eye-opening patterns. Take a look at their findings, and then check out your sleep log in the Fitbit app to see how your personal bedtime numbers compare.

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Restless Sleep Revealed

Have you noticed a pattern of restlessness in your personal sleep log? You’re not alone—most sleepers have a number of short periods of awake time in the middle of the night. In fact, data shows Fitbit users are awake or restless on average for a total of  25.5 minutes each night. “Sleep is not completely still,” says Michael Grandner, PhD, MTR, a Fitbit sleep advisor and director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. “We all move during our sleep, especially in stages 1 and 2—and this is totally normal.”

The Gender Impact

When it comes to getting snooze time, the Fitbit data reveals women are clearly winning. On average, female Fitbit users sleep 25 minutes more per night than male Fitbit users. However, the difference changes with age. Women between the ages of 20 and 50, sleep 30 minutes more than men the same age; but by the time they’re 60 years old, women only enjoy 20 minutes more sleep per night than their male peers.

The Sleep-Weight Connection

The aggregated, anonymized sleep data shows Fitbit users who sleep 7 to 9 hours per night on average have a lower body mass index (BMI) compared to those who only sleep 3 to 4 hours (27.4 and 29.7 respectively). Additionally, the Fitbit data shows Fitbit users who have an overweight or obese BMI (greater than 25) log 70 fewer minutes of sleep per week on average, when compared to those with a normal BMI (18.5-25).

A possible reason for these differences: “Lack of sleep is stressful to the body,” says Michael Smith, PhD, Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Johns Hopkins University and an expert sleep consultant for Fitbit. “It can cause higher blood pressure and heart rate—and it can also alter metabolism, leading to spikes in blood sugar that can lead to insulin resistance and weight gain.”

The Effect of Active Minutes on Bedtime

Want to clock more Zzz? Getting more exercise and establishing an earlier bedtime could help!

Fitbit data scientists note a correlation between active minutes and hitting the sack early—Fitbit users with the most tracked active minutes also seem to have a more consistent, and earlier, bedtime. The same group of Fitbit users logging the most sleep tends to hit the sack at 11:07pm on average, while those who don’t get as much shut-eye aren’t winding down until 11:55pm on average.  

Having a consistent bedtime is important for your overall health and wellbeing, because it can set you up to get the right amount of sleep for you. “The body loves regularity,” says Grandner. “When you have a regular bedtime, your sleep biology can train itself around that time—your body knows when sleep is coming, so it can optimally prepare.”

The Age Breakdown

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Fitbit data shows active millennials typically go to bed earlier. But a subset of that generation is actually logging the least amount of sleep. Why? The college-aged set might be prioritizing other activities over sleep. Maybe it’s a bit too much studying and partying for those co-eds—they aren’t hitting the sack until 12:22am on average, bringing the total amount of time spent snoozing down by sleeping 91 minutes less per week on average.

Meanwhile, Gen Xers who are more active get more sleep than their less active peers, and active Baby Boomers seem to be snoozing like babies! Take a look at some more cool, age-related sleep findings in the infograms below.

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*This research is based on aggregated and anonymous data from over 10 million users in 2015. Sleep duration is based on time asleep and does not include restless or awake time. Generations are defined as: Baby Boomers (age 55 and up), Generation X (age 35-55) and Millennials (age 18-35), as of May 1, 2016. A Fitbit tracker recognizes and awards active minutes when the activity you’re doing is more strenuous than regular walking, which includes everything from a brisk walk to a cardio workout or run. Active minutes are awarded after 10 minutes of continuous moderate-to-intense activity and for the purposes of this analysis were averaged across users.

238 Comments   Join the Conversation

238 CommentsLeave a comment

    • I have a Fitbit and I have carpal tunnel in both hands? Just had surgery on the left hand, the worst one, and it is the one I wear the Fitbit on!

      • Wear it on your ankle. I had to do that for a time and found it helped a great deal! Look it up how to secure it to find a way that works for you.

        • Mine too. For some reason it shows I start sleeping around 2 or 3 am, when I am asleep well before then. Do I have something set wrong? My sleep goal is from 9pm to 5 am.

          • My charge 2 almost always records my sleep starting the first time I awaken and go to the bathroom. I will try to find the setting and change it and hope for the same result.

        • Fitbit records me as falling asleep at least one hour after Ian sure I fell asleep how can I check this out should I tighten the strap or put it somewhere else

          • I just changed from charge to a new Alta and having the same problem. My setting was normal. So as an experiment I changed it to sensitive after reading this this morning.

    • I have had carpel tunnel surgeries on both hands to attempt to fix the issue and stop the excruciating pain but it didn’t work because it has since turned out not to be carpel tunnel syndrome but is trapped nerves in neck due to cervical spondolosis. I wore my Fitbit throughout all of my surgeries.

  • This information is helpful for me and thankful for my Fitbit. I’m finding that I need 7 or more hours of sleep in order to not feel fatigued and tired during the day.

    • I do too and since having a Fitbit that tracks sleep(along with several other things) I find that I’m much more mindful of my habits that contribute to my over all health. Incidentally I have found that I get much better sleep when out boxer and village nit doesn’t share the bed with us! Lol

    • Same here I find it’s great to know how much sleep inneednfor the day ahead, and it will be interesting to see how much i sleep when I travel!

  • First time I’ve had such detailed info about my sleep pattern. It’s great. Love it. Like the detailed explanation too!!

    • I love my fit bit love how many steps I do during the day it’s 5 1/2 to 6 miles I’m 72 years old love to see the fit bit sleep pattern

      • Yes I love mine too. It’s so motivating and reassuring, because if you think you’ve had a bad night, you can check the Fitbit. Most times you’ve had a decent night’s sleep.
        I’m 65

  • The algorithm for measuring sleep is not accurate. I’m a very restless sleeper at night and take naps during the day. If I wake up to drink water or rearrange blankets at night, often sleep time after that event is missed. Daytime dozing is missed completely unless it is a substantial amount of time, i.e. greater than one hour. One night this week the tracker measured no sleep at all, which was close to the truth because I was waking up hundreds of times gasping from sleep apnea and a sore throat all through the night. if I put the Fitbit setting on “sensitive”, it’s way too sensitive. I wish they would tweak the algorithm for those of us with sleep apnea, because it’s not picking up short bursts of sleep.

    • Consider seeing a sleep doctor. There are CPAP and BiPAP machines you can comfortably sleep with that will solve that problem.

    • I have apnea and according to the Fitbit am very restless. It calculates my sleep at about four hours a night. If that were true I wouldn’t be functioning. I read recently that you can move during deep sleep. Is that what’s happening?

      • That’s my issue too. Admittedly I am often tired & my Fitbit shows that I am incredibly restless during the night, averaging about 4.5 hours per night but I’d like to know the quality of my sleep when im restless, if that makes sense! Find it a bit confusing tbh.

      • I have sleep apnea and wear a bipap. Have for 3 years. I am a very restless sleeper and my Fitbit doesn’t register sleep correctly. Says I am restless 20 to 30 minutes per night but doesn’t register awake times. 5 to 10 times that I can count. Also says I’m asleep when I’m not. Always has me falling right to sleep when I’m awake for hours sometime. Needs tweaking.

    • I find the tracker to be very relatable. It doesn’t pick up short naps because it won’t pick up restless sleep at all. If you’re not sleeping restfully, you’re not sleeping well. It doesn’t count towards overall sleep. Don’t keep it on the sensitive setting! That setting doesn’t record any sleep.

    • Get a C-Pap before the apnea that is apparently that severe kills you. Because it cannand I don’t want that.

      • Reading a few of these, I started to worry a little. I have worn my Fitbit continuously for over a year and consistently sleep between 2hrs 50min to 3 hrs 10min. I don’t seem to have slept more than 4 hours in any evening. I’ve never needed much sleep and work long hours. I run and exercise regularly and have a Bmi if 22. I will take advice from the forum and consult a doctor.

      • Sleep apnea causes pressure on right side of heart. That can cause A-Fib. When in A Fib the heart isn’t pumping properly and can throw a clot causing a stroke.

    • Just got my Fitbit a week ago but noticed today it logged my 27 minute nap. Have often felt poorly rested in morning and sure enough, it’s showing 3-4 hours of restless sleep per night.

    • From what I’ve read you have to be a sleep at least three hours before your fit bit watch accurately measure and analyze your sleep

    • I agree with this get up multiple times nightly and I rarely measure consistent sleep nor does it calculate my nap times between jobs

  • I hope Fitbit continues to study this data & give us helpful advice on improving our sleep. I work hard on maximizing my sleep but I still only get 4 to 5 hours of restful sleep each night. I’m a 57 yr old male. I am recently retired & have a BMI of 34. Sounds like I need to get my BMI back below 25 to improve my sleep.

    • I’m with you, John. The reason I got my Fitbit Alta was to track my sleep. I, too, only get about 4+ hours of good sleep per night. It was much better when I first got the Alta. Although I need to get my BMI down if there truly is a connection

    • It’s great you are now aware of what can change! But, getting the BMI down is only part of the picture. This is what other studies show in order of importance:
      1) Keep a regular night time schedule as much as possible
      2) No TV or media for at least 2 hours before bedtime
      3) Practice breathing exercises or relaxation later in the evening and start turning all the lights down
      4) Consume a warm but light meal such as a soup and veggies
      5) No alcohol
      6) Use aromatherapy and massage your feet with Lavender oil
      7) Make sure your bed is comfortable and your room is dark

    • I have noticed greatly reduced restless leg at night when I cut down (quite a bit) my carbohydrate intake. Had to change my eating habits and missed that morning toast, but now it is second nature to reach for something else instead of a carb-filled snack.

    • Restless legs syndrome can be related to a person who is low in iron and who is anemic. Go get a blood test, I did and was put onto iron tablets and they worked wonders. No more restless legs!

    • Restless or twitchy legs can be caused by lack of magnesium among other things. Try a good quality one like Bioceuticals ‘Muscle Ease’. I call it my ‘anti twitch medication’ Because if I’m low on magnesium my legs twitch at night too. For me it always works a treat! Also try to eat more food with rich magnesium content such as spinach, pumpkin seeds, natural yoghurt, natural almonds, avocado, banana and figs are all great.

  • Correction – Baby Boomers were born in 1946 to 1964, making them 53 to 71 years old, not 55 and up.

    • At least they acknowledge that Baby Boomers exist. Apparently anyone older than that is either dead or not active enough to use Fitbit trackers. Wrong and wrong! What about active seniors, 70+???

      • Lol I agree with what you said…I say woodstock and they have a blank stare. God forbid, if I say Phone book or library. Tho to be honest, when I was younger I didnt listen to older peoples experiences…my biggest regret not asking my parents more abt what it was like during the depression or wartime…re: sleep, always a nightowl and cant change it.

      • I was wondering about the that too. I’ll be 77 in November, walk about 14,000 steps, 5 to 6 mi. a day & sleep 7 1/2 hrs a night. I think my generation has a name & should be separate.

        • The Silent Generation , 1924 to 1942. It should be included, why not? Maybe then next study. Much respect to you!

          • I believe they’ve been called The Greatest Generation.” In my experience with “my elders,” they are indeed. A wealth of experience and wisdom will be sorely missed in years to come – but not yet. Not yet.

    • I was born in 1963 and have identified closer with Gen Xers than boomers my whole life. Even my sleep numbers are closer to Gen Xers.

      • I’m so excited to see 70+ individuals on here!! There isn’t enough info for your age, I completely agree; and I’m 28.

    • And evidently all boomer males are Bald with a saggy face – nice icons Fitbit – way to connect with your audience.

      • Agreed…I’m a 60 yr old female and found those icons for Boomers offensive…many of us take very good care of our health w good nutrition and exercise…this care, with a little help from genetics, is reflected in appearance and well-being inside and out. Love my Fitbit and it motivates me to reflect my spirit which never ages.

    • I had the same problem and went to a structural therapist and after a 2-3 visits fixed my problem and haven’t had it again , that was about 8 years ago

  • My Fitbit consistently says I’m asleep when in actuality I am watching television or reading. This really does not reflect my actual sleep time or pattern.

    • You can delete or edit sleep logs Fitbit creates. Marking my time watching a movie as sleep has happened to me so I just delete it when that happens. Problem solved!

    • Yes I have exactly the same thing happening to me, and as a result it says I sleep too much for the average!

      • My fit bit has a block of time almost every night that it doesn’t record anything. It makes it look as if I’m not sleeping thru the night. Can this be fixed???????

      • It’s because it picks up that you have not moved in 10mins or more so then starts recording that your asleep.

        You just need to log into the app and delete any sleep recordings that are not true. Or even adjust anything that is slightly out.

  • I am a Baby a boomer who is getting more sleep because I am more active and have lost 45 pounds. I no longer suffer from sleep apnea issues which interrupted sound sleep with numerous restless and awake moments.

    • How did you lose weight? I lost some & stopped using my CPAP but now I’ve gained 10 back. How much “restless mins” is normal? I have so many blue lines at night. should I worry?

      • You should talk to your doctor – odds are you still need the CPAP. Also keep in mind that the FitBit isn’t 100% reliable on keeping track of sleep, but if you have over an hour of “restless minutes” something is likely off.

  • This is great to see the aggregate data and insights. My question is about the affect of ‘normal’ or ‘sensitive ‘ mode on this data. I’m showing an average of 6 hrs 3 min but my FitBit is set on sensitive mode – if I’m on normal mode, I’m showing much less restless time. Which mode is your aggregate data representing?

  • It would be helpful to get more info about typical sleep patterns and some typical anomalies and what they might indicate.

  • Your years for the generations are incorrect baby boomers are 1946-64 making the 55 & up assessment incorrect

    Baby boomers are the demographic group born during the post–World War II baby boom, approximately between the years 1946 and 1964. This includes people who are between 53 and 71 years old in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau

  • My Charge 2 shows “No Sleep Cycles ” (diagonal lines black and gray.
    Does this mean I have a sleep disorder or a problem with my program?

  • With my fitbit, I find that I am more aware of how much sleep I’m getting. I love being aware of the needs for my body.

  • My Fitbit data no longer shows restless but more awake time. My wife Fitbit no longer shows restless also.

  • FitBit has helped realize I need a little more sleep time. And with Fitbit I can organize that and it reminds me to get to bed when I would like to. Thank you FitBit.

  • My sleep has improved since I now on a CPAP machine. And yes, earlier to bed does make for a more restful sleep or me!

  • I’m a nurse and I work day shifts and night shifts. This is why I get very little sleep sometimes and lots of sleep other times. I sleep good on my days off, but when I’m working overnights I only sleep 4-6 hours. I do get lots of exercise regularly though and my BMI is low. I just have a hard time napping during the day when I’m on nights.

    • I, too, am an RN who works 7p-7a. I am 65yr old female. I wish that my Fitbit charge 2 could be changed for those who work nights! Especially the steps done. I can alter the water intake but not the steps. Can anyone help me out? When I am not working, I still stay on night schedule, as my body is still on night shift.

      • I work nights as well. I’m lucky if I average 5 hours sleep per day per week. I also have insomnia related to PTSD and frequently have nightmares

        • I have DSPS& it’s as disruptive as the pain and cognition problems of my fibromyalgia. Until the onset of FMS I was able all my life to be asleep by 11 pm to 2 am, then sleep flipped forward 6 hours. Now I sleep from 6-8 am until
          about 1-2 pm if allowed. Result, severe sleep dep, no social life, driving often unsafe & appts. near impossible to keep.

  • The retrospective review of the aggregate data is very impressive. I applaud the Fittbit effort. I am a Ph.D. Physiologist and, over the last 2 years of wearing Fittbit, have wondered if the work would be done. In saying that, I truly believe (with increased understanding of the data and improvements in accuracy) the Fittbit will lend itself well to prospective studies in health and medicine.

  • I’m finding that if I just sit and read the paper in the morning it shows up as sleep. How can I remedy that?

  • My restless/awake time always shows from 2 to over 4 hrs. And I think I’m only awake maybe at the most 1hr

    • I’m restless on average about 2 hours a night, too. I think I slept better when I didn’t have a Fitbit tracking me. Lol

      • You might want to stop the fit bit from lighting up when you raise your arm. I found this disturbed my sleep.

  • My Fitbit is helping me to manage my fibromyalgia better. I feel great when I workout and helps with my sleep. I’ll always be fatigued but it helps me tremendously

  • Your sleeping tracker does not work I am awake during the night on a regular basis and most of the time my Fitbit does not capture my time awake or shows I was awake for 10 minutes or so, when I was actually awake for a couple hours

  • I love having my fitbit as inhave Fibromyalgia and my sleep ptterns are all over due to suffering and taking medication for insomnia (2.5 yrs now)

    At least I can show my doctor each month my sleeing patterns and lack of sleep. I can sleep 6 hours and 9 of 10 my restless sleep is more than 1/2 to 3/4 more than a deep sleep.

    Its pants so i do nap in daytime to bump up my deep sleep and i do take vit b to sometimes stop sleeping any time of the day – sometimes i dont know i fell asleep

  • My Fitbit is fine for tracking when I wake up, but can be up to two hours out from when I go to sleep. Have checked this with my old Garmin watch and it is correct. Does anyone else have this problem/ know how to fix?

  • I only sleep an average of 4 hours a night. I take melatonin. Usually it doesn’t do anything for me except help me get to sleep. I’m a healthy weight. I work out almost everyday. My diet is healthy. My boyfriend said I should check to see if I have sleep apnea. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

  • I love my “sleep pattern” the best on my Fitbit. I have definitely noticed the earlier I get to sleep the better and longer I sleep. I think I get over tired & doze.
    There goes my good nite’s sleep!

    • Rod, In what way could it hurt you to have your data lumped into 10,000,000 users data? I am glad they are studying this. I would love to hear more on other comparisons. It was all intended to help people become more aware of healthy habits. I thank them for this.

    • Rod, In what way could it hurt you to have your data lumped into 10,000,000 users data? I am glad they are studying this. I would love to hear more on other comparisons. It was all intended to help people become more aware of healthy habits. I thank them for this.

    • I’m happy that this data is analyzed and the results are shared with us. We care about the data otherwise we would not use Fitbits or other trackers. We use the data and subsequent analysis results to modify our own behavior/activity for our benefit. Pretty nice business model for all parties. So check the “fine print” and note that some Fitbit articles say something about disaggregating your data used for analysis from any personally identifying data.

  • I started using Fitbit January 3, 2016 in order to track my sleep. I still use it every night along with a C-PAP and an S+ made by ResMed. fit bits new program that now breaks up light sleep, rim sleep, deep sleep, and awake times, is very accurate and matches with my S+ by ResMed. I make sure I’m hitting my goals every day and night using my Fitbit. So thankful for what their research is doing and how fit bit helps me accomplish my goals. I’m 62 years old and right in the middle of those baby boomers.

  • All interesting information here.How about sleep information regarding workers who work nights and have to sleep during the day.eg,”A days sleep not a good as a night sleep? “.Maybe of interest the health and knock of affects of working nights.

  • As of today, I can no longer find my sleep efficiency auto-calclated under my sleep log.

    Did that function get term’d?

  • Had to laugh when the Fitbit told me it had noticed I’m having less than usual sleep for population and referred me to this article. I’m a mum to a child who has seizures that get worse at night and are life threatening. He is also completely disabled so Im basically on call for him all day and night. I bought the fitbit to prove to the powers that be that my sleep has been between 4-5 a night for 12 years and I’m about to fall over. Although the Fitbit is not perfect yet I believe it’s a start. I hope in future it can be used to provide evidence for care to protect vulnerable people. Then I might finally get some sleep. Have to say that articles like this are pretty useless for special needs families whether millennials, Baby boomers or my Gen X.

  • I am sleeping on average 8 hours a night & most of the time I totally flatline, no restless or awake lines!!! Is this normal? I’m an active 41 year old female.

  • I wonder if less sleep is the CAUSE of a higher BMI or less sleep is a RESULT of a higher BMI.
    It always seems to be put in such a way that more sleep will lower BMI, but maybe as BMI lowers sleep will naturally increase.

    • I’ve heard that more/better sleep helps you be more active during the day and make better dietary decisions thereby resulting in a lower BMI.

  • Curious to know the average length of sleep for parents of young children. My 2 year old keeps us up some nights.

    • I am one if the oldest Baby Boomers. I am active, weight and BMI ate normal. I have no evidence of sleep apnea. My Fitbit sleep data records much more restless sleep than i feel. I have taken Melatonin in the past, and very rarely take a low dose of prescripton medication. Neither of these change the restless/ restful ratio. Any suggestions?

  • Receive the fit bit update. The new sleep charts and graphs are great!! My question is when I woke up this morning of my sleeping charts and info was right back to the old more basic charts without REM etc like it was before update not sure why

  • Fitbit is not an effective sleep tracker as it assumes im asleep when I lie still and this is not the case I’m awake in bed.

    It always records that I’m sleeping much more than I actually am. It’s never been very good but I don’t know how you can improve it.

  • Thank you for providing additional insights. This is helpful in managing sleep as part of overall health. Great work

  • I am 68 yrs old. I had my Fitbit on 1st of Feb when for 2 weeks I was averaging 8 hours sleep per night, since then I only average 5. I work part time at a job I love, am active, walk a lot got to the gym once a week. These statistics are great but how do I get more sleep? I weigh 9st 6lbs, I was 10st back in February.

  • What a crocus. I had sleep studies and psychological testing and I was told that everyone is different in the sleep they nerd. My body thrives on 3-4 hours deep a night and if I have more I wake up groggy and with a headache. Stop trying to lump everyone into Th same box!

  • How do I get my fit bit to track sleep properly? Last night it shows that I’ve slept one hour one minute. I average about seven hours it tracked properly for the first week or two I had it but lately it’s four hours or less.

  • My Fitbit is right in that I only get 3 to 4 hrs sleep at night. I would be happy with that if it was a straight 3 to 4 hours. But it is always broken up between 5 min, 20 min, etc. I’m always exhausted. The sleep doctor says I have an “Awake” brain. But offered no help.

  • I feel like I’m sleeping a lot more than my Fitbit says I do. I’ve had my Fitbit for almost three years now and for the first two years I had a machine inside me called an LVAD which basically performed the function that my heart couldn’t do. April 21st 2016 I received my heart transplant. So with a transplant they keep your heart rate elevated at least 100bpm and at resting it’s usually around mid 90’s. So because the Fitbit can’t differentiate between actual “sleep” and awake it gives me an improper sleep pattern. Is there any way to adjust this so I can get as close as possible to an average of my sleep pattern?

  • I love the Fitbit. But the sleep patterns for me do not work. I go to bed at about 11pm and It rarely shows me sleep before 230-3am. I know I take 10-15 mins to get to sleep but 4 hours a night lol

  • As a statistician who users big data analytics in my day to day research this is a tremendous data set and the results are fascinating. I would love to work with the Fitbit Data scientists closer on this type of research.

  • For the past week I have been making a conscious effort to increase my hours of sleeping. As a baby boomer, I was way out of my healthy range, averaging about 5 hours 30 minutes over many months. Now with more sleep, I simply feel better and am starting to shed pounds.

  • I am 56 years old and wake several times due to hot flashes. Any suggestions besides taking medications.

  • I’d like to see studies on rotation shift workers or people who work 12-16 hrs night shifts like medical staff and police officers. My insomnia has been getting worse from years of eradic sleep patterns due to my nursing career. It also doesn’t help that we have pets (dogs) that sleep with us in bed and she’s ft about and demand coming off and on the bed to do their business.

  • Should I turn down the sensitivity of my tracker? I’m sleeping in average about 3.5hrs per night (dark blue) and restless the rest of the time? Miles away from the average.

  • I go up to bed before my husband and switch my light off a little before he does. But I’m usually awake reading an hour before him; my weight is average, he’s overweight; I exercise, he doesn’t, so our profiles don’t match the research findings, interesting though they are. Yet I’m the one on medication for my BP!

  • This was another wake up call.data can be very telling,good or bad take the info learn and change something if need be.the Fitbit for myself is at least in 90 plus right! That’s an A

  • I am losing sleep I am trying to find a Fitbit charge hr band holder and your rotten company won’t sell me one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    BOO FITBIT!!!!!

  • I love my Fitbit. I never take it off. But I only sleep around 4 1/2 hours a night most night. I wonder why? Maybe because I weigh more.

  • I got the Fitbit scale too. But I am puzzled at the BMI number. I weigh 122, am 5.3 tall, age 60. My BMI says 30 ! I could probably be 118 or 119, but I am not fat. I workout 3-4 days a week either walk or treadmill and do Pilates. Why is my BMI so high? Is scale inaccurate?

  • Want to believe that Sensitive mode records Deep Sleep. I asked help desk but never got a reply. Can anyone confirm this?
    After using a mouth brace against apnea, I am averaging just under two hours in Sens mode. Before the brace it was less than 20 minutes.

  • Fitbit is just the best! I suffer with really bad seizures, cervial spondolosis and can monitor them during the night via the sleep pattern recording element ; I usually sleep very still because of my exhaustion

  • The sleep information becomes inaccurate if for any reason you get up in the middle of your sleeping time. That break is counted as starting the day time. The time you return to bed and sleep is not counted. So I am getting readings of 2 to 3 hours per night when the sleep either side of the break is 6 to 7 hours. Why are those hours after the break not counted.

  • I count my toes before I go to bed and wit my FB I know that the book I am reading is more accurate. By the way I am 56 and still like chocolate shakes.

  • I would like for Fitbit to post data on average times in each sleep stage for the different population groups they have studied. Otherwise, I have nothing to compare my own data to — don’t know if it is abnormal or not. If so — how abnormal. Suspect mine is abnormal — have several sleep problems — severe circadian rhythm disorder. My sleep doctor at Johns Hopkins says that my normal sleep time should be between 4 AM and noon, based on how long it takes me to get into REM. Also, I have idiopathic nocturnal hypoventilation syndrome — AKA Ondine’s curse. My brain’s nocturnal CO2 receptor is out of wack and so I don’t breathe deeply enough when I sleep. Therefore, I need oxygen. No sleep apnea, so no CPAP. Just oxygen.

  • Wow, this sleep information is so powerful. Thank you Fitbit for running data analytics on all the data you collect for the benefit of all users. I love Fitbit!

  • With regard to the article on length of sleep each night and it’s correlation to weight and other factors, I would take it with a grain of salt. Some people, like me, are short sleepers. I always have been, since I was born. I am now 48 years old, get an hour of exercise six days per week, weigh exactly what my doctor says that I should weigh, and sleep an average of about six hours per night. That’s normal for me. So don’t freak out if you sleep less than “average.” Some of us just don’t need much sleep.

  • I work night shift 2-3 nights a week. My sleep and drive minutes are different. Any suggestions for setting

  • What are the differences that having young children has to your sleep factor particularly the first year or two? It would be good see these factors added in… I currently sleep it appears a least 2 hours less a night because of this…

  • I had total shoulder replacement 5 months ago and found shoulder exercise right before bedtime helps with better sleep. The Fitbit clearly shows this.

  • Would love to see some stats for women aged 48 – 55ish where night sweats cause a more disturbed sleep!

  • Since restless time could be turning over, or moving an arm or a leg, why is that deducted from total sleep time? Seems to me it is much different than being awake.

  • How does Fitbit distinguish between ‘falling asleep on the couch’ and finally falling asleep in bed on any given evening?

  • I recently underwent hip replacement surgery and was fascinated at my sleep patterns during my recovery. Two weeks after my surgery I am back to normal sleep pattern. I am 70 years young and walk one to two miles daily, but didn’t walk for two weeks post surgery. Yesterday was my first official one mile walk, and my sleep was better. So, everyone I recommend walking daily for better sleep. I also weigh 115 lbs. even though walking was difficult it did benefit my night time sleep. I highly recommend getting in a daily walk and move every hour. I walk up and down my stairs and now I no longer need my cane! Thanks FITBIT for your device. I love monitoring my movements and daily progress.

  • Military time is 24/7 alert & moreso at night. After20+ years in the Middle East with extreme temps & lifestyles that dine later – up to midnight, take big meals midday & light suppers & daytime naps – back in the USA & out of sync like night shift workers I average 8 hrs over 72 hrs. Fitbit just tells me I’m out of sync!

  • I would like to know if the sleep data used for these articles are based on the Fitbit setting that shows restlessness or the setting showing time gone to bed and wake up time? When I track the less sensitive setting it appears I’m getting plenty of sleep. When I have it on the more sensitive setting I average about 4 hours. Thank you!

  • Strange that 30+ Active Minutes vs. 10 correlates with “less” sleep for Millennials, whereas more active GenX’s and Boomers show “more” sleep. Why?

  • Interesting! I do wonder how having children affects the amount of sleep during a certain age period. I notice a considerable decline in the numbers of hours 😉

  • According to my Fitbit I sleep at least 1.5 to 2 hours less than a person in my demographic. Which so I suppose to average 7 and quarter hours a night. According to their information I a millennial but as I’m close to cusps I’ve seen others where I a gen x or others where I’m a gen z.. anyway I also in the low bmi category but I would like to know the impact of motherhood especially those with babies on these statistics. Most nights I get about 4.5 hours with some as little a 2. I don’t appear to be a lone with this

  • I love the sleep pattern, especially the breakdowns. My only problem is the stair count. I get nothing going from 1st floor to 2nd, but get credit from the basement to main and stairs are the same count.

  • No matter what I do if I go to bed early or even late I still have a lot of restlessness. I go to the gym every morning and do a heavy weightlifting cardio yoga all that. And I still have restlessness. I am a female 67 years old. Do you have any ideas how I can change that. I do not eat after seven no water after 8 o’clock.

  • I would log more sleep if I didn’t have to recharge my Fitbit every single night! It goes dead after only 30k steps so has to be plugged in every night.

  • Hi.bob Simpson age 71 I manage to exercise 5/6 days and also exercise my lurched dog Fitbit is great I recently had a cardiac ablation which was successful I can monitor my heart rate and family challenges motivate me to

  • I would like to see FitBit provide some analysis on each of our activity and sleep patterns, and compare them to people of similar age and gender. It is very difficult for example to determine if my sleep patterns are “Normal” of if there is anything I should look into in more detail. Also, not clear to me if my activity level through out the day is good, bad, different. Same questions on Heart rate, both resting, through out the day, … compare to others, and “normal”. Let must be a wealth of data and analysis that could be done and provided to us loyal FitBit users.

  • I’m just turned 62, consume little alcohol (2 ozs wine most days), no smoking, somewhat overweight (17 pounds), active (speed walk 4 plus miles most days, (just ran my first Half Marathon), bike ride, and hike occasionally. And I go to bed most nights within an hour of my target time, 10, so long as I don’t consume caffeine later than noon.

    I HAVE TROUBLE STAYING ALSEEP FOR A FULL NIGHT. 🙁

    So I use melatonin which helps. Its an OTC product used in some nursing homes to help elderly sleep.

    I also note that soaking for an hour in a hot tub also helps me if I do that just before bed.

  • There is an overlap in your age breakouts. 55 is counted in baby boomers and Gen X; 35 is counted in millennial and Gen X.

  • I have DSPS& it’s as disruptive as the pain and cognition problems of my fibromyalgia. Until the onset of FMS I was able all my life to be asleep by 11 pm to 2 am, then sleep flipped forward 6 hours. Now I sleep from 6-8 am until
    about 1-2 pm if allowed. Result, severe sleep dep, no social life, driving often unsafe & appts. near impossible to keep.

  • I am working aged 82, with plenty of energy and enthusiasm, and in good health. Fitbit tells me the average sleep is over 9 hours for my demographic. I am hard pressed to average more than 6.5 hours of sleep, and wake naturally before the alarm goes off.
    So I question whether 9 hours of sleep as we age, is wise? Or does it make us old??

  • Is there a way that Fitbit can wake me up during my light sleep cycle? I don’t want to have to download another app that does the same thing Fitbit does.

  • What does it mean when FitBit registers my start sleep time as an hour or so after I’ve laid down and felt like I was sleeping?

  • Stretching can alleviate some symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Stretch your arm straight out and curl your index finger to palm of hand,then grab the 3 remaining fingers and pull them toward your body. You should feel a slight strain. This is your body recognizing, atrophy of the tendons. Do this simple exercise through out the day, several times over. This should help alleviate some of the problems. There are many types of exercises to help with this problem. Research on “you tube” or a search engine site.

  • My sleep time I set from 10.00pm to 5.30am but my Fitbit does not record my full sleep. Nothing before midnight is recorded.

  • I’m really trying to improve my sleep. I am active and i exercise. I try to be in bed by 9:30pm daily. I have notice that i wake up tired and have feelings of restlessness. Does anybody have any tips for improving my sleep? And how to fall asleep quicker?

  • Why do the icons representing Baby Boomers look like octogenarians or older? Like OUR parents. Clueless much?

  • Because of my Fitbit I was able to notice my sudden change in sleep. When I went to my doctor, and after a couple tests, I found out I have hyperthyroidism. Hopefully once that is back in check my sleep time will get better.

  • I cant get to bed earlier than 3-5 am. But slways wake up at 10’ish pm. Fitbit keeps saying me i dont sleep well, that i sleep an hour less than average person of my age. But i dont have obeese weight. I tried to go to bed at 11 pm, but then i wake up at 4-5 am, and walk around like a zombie, cause everybody is sleeping at that time. However, when i used to smoke weed regularly i used to sleep more than 10 hours. Is there any correlation of sleeptime and drugs?

  • The average time awake noted in this article is inconsistent with the data in the sleep area of the Fitbit tracker

  • I don’t get much deep sleep. I average about 30-40 minutes each night. How important is deep sleep? Is deep better than light sleep?

  • I’m 51 lady and I wake a lot due to premenopausal, I exercise 6 days a week for 1hr that be weights and cardio I’m up 5.30am n bed by 7.30 8pm I work also and at the end of my day I’m shattered but still wake in the night

  • Life goes beyond 50. No advise whatsoever for 80 year olds many of whom own a fitbit.
    Many elderly have interrupted nights due to toilet needs.Fitbit sleep recording is also getting less accurate .It used to record more than one hours sleep. This is now down to three hours. WHAT’S GOING ON??

  • Broken sleep pattern chart is unavoidable when bathroom visit wake ups related to frequency when elderly occur, Fitbit seems not to recognise this “normal for elderly” fact.

  • My Fitbit doesn’t register the whole night. Periods where nothing is reporting and I’m in bed sleeping the whole time. How do I fix?

  • I know that I wake up later than Fitbit says like one day officially got up around 7 although I did get up several times after 5 am
    Any reason why Fitbit wouldn’t show 7 am as wakeup time?

  • Any idea of affect of restless leg syndrome on sleep? Take medicine Had 2 sleep studies. No need for CPAP
    But doc said I run a marathon while sleeping! Legs never stop moving

  • Now that I have Sciatica, tracking my sleep has become more important to me.
    Lately my sleep pattern is:
    – sleep 3-4hs,
    – wake 1 hour, (walking stretching, neural flossing)
    – sleep for 1-4 hours.

    I’m Currious to know if the algorithm of 3 hour requirement for proper tracking takes in to account both sleeps.

  • So if it says I slept 9 hours but was awake 1 1/2 hours i was actually only sleeping 8 hours …as an example.

    • I was really confused until I stopped and did the math. To pick a night at random: my Fitbit Charge 2 (actually the Fitbit app on my iPhone) says I got 8 hours 4 minutes sleep. The app also says I fell asleep at 11:20pm and awoke at 8:53am and was awake for a total of 1 hour, 29 minutes during that time. Doing the math: from 11:20pm to 8:53am is 9 hours, 33 minutes. Subtracting the awake time from this (9 hours 33 minutes minus 1 hour 29 minutes) gives 8 hours 4 minutes, which is my amount of sleep reported by the Fitbit app. In other words, awake time (1h 29m) has been subtracted from asleep-to-awake time (9h 33m) to give sleep time (8h 4m) the app told me I got.

  • Why is my Fitbit Alta HR showing me that I finish my sleep cycle at 2:55 am when I don’t wake up and get out of bed until 8:30 am?

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