Apple in iOS 14 and watchOS 7 introduced a new Sleep Tracking feature designed to help you control how much sleep you get each night with Apple Watch and improve your sleep habits through bedtime reminders and a process of unwinding.
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This guide runs through all the Sleep Tracking functionality available on the iPhone and the Apple Watch in Apple’s 2020 software updates.
Sleep program
In the health app on the PiPhone or in the ppApple Watch you can set a sleep plan with the amount of sleep you want to get each night and your default sleep and wake goals.
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The first step in setting up a Sleep Schedule is setting up a Sleep Goal, which allows the Health app on iPhone (and Apple Watch) to recommend a bedtime and sound an alarm. It also lets you know if you have hit your sleep goals for the night.
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From there, you want to set a schedule with the time you want to go to bed and the time you want to wake up. Based on the sleep goal you set in the step beforehand, the Health app will let you know when your chosen times will result in adequate sleep.
You can use the same sleep plan every day or choose different schedules for different days. With this feature you can have a set schedule for weekdays and another schedule for weekends.
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With a sleep plan set up, you can turn an alarm on or off, and you can adjust the volume and whether you want haptic feedback. If you wear a ppApple Watch for Sleep Tracking, the alarm will sound on the watch instead of on iPhone. The sleep plan adjusting options can be done in the Health app, or, more conveniently, in the Clock app under Alarm.
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Sleep Mode
Sleep Mode is an optional mode that fits in with the Sleep Schedule feature. If enabled, it will simplify your Lock screen at your chosen bedtime, hide notifications, and enable Do Not Disturb.
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Sleep Mode can be set to turn on and off automatically to match your Sleep Schedule, but it can also be turned on or off in the Control Center.
Run out
Wind Down accompanies Sleep Mode and Sleep Schedule as an optional feature. If enabled, Wind Down will start Sleep Mode before going to sleep to reduce distractions and help you relax.
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As in sleep mode, Wind Down does not turn on interference, and it can also override keyboard shortcuts to apps or features you might want to use as part of your nightly routine. For example, if you are reading before bed, the app can suggest your reading app, if you want to meditate, you suggest your favorite meditation app.
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You need to set these shortcuts when activating and customizing the Wind Down feature. The Health app surpasses relevant options based on the selection of apps you have installed for pre-bed activities such as journaling, meditating, listening to music, listening to a podcast, reading, checking calendar tasks, yoga , and more.
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If Wind Down activates at a certain time for your set bedtime, it will provide the time, a note about when bedtime is, and a link to the shortcuts you have set so you can go over your pre-bed time routine.
Sleep Tracking
Sleep Tracking, which allows you to track how long you sleep each night and wake you up with a haptic alarm, is available if you have an Apple Watch. You can set Sleep Tracking on Apple Watch via the Health app, and it uses the same setting process as all the features above.
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With Sleep Tracking enabled, the ppApple Watch adjusts and locks itself based on your Sleep Schedule so it does not wake you up at night. Sleep data from the Apple Watch can be viewed in the Health app on the PiPhone. If your sleep schedule is set with a bedtime and a wake time, all you have to do is make sure your watch is charged and ready to wear at night. Sleep tracking happens automatically at night, as long as you have Apple Watch battery.
Apple Watch also lets you view summaries of your sleep plan, it will inform you about Wind Down and bedtime settings, and it shows some of the sleep tracking data mentioned in the Health app.
Wake up
When you wake up in the morning, the alarm set on your PiPhone or the Apple Watch and the iPhone will display a message “Good morning” with the time and the weather forecast.
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Summary of settings
Once you have used the settings process in the Health app, at the end, the iPhone gives you an overview of all your settings. From there, the Sleep, Wind Down and Sleep Tracking features work automatically when you go to bed every night. Changes can be made in the Sleep section of the Health app.
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Sleep sources from third parties
It is worth noting that if you have a device that also contributes sleep data to the Health app, such as the Apple-owned Beddit Sleep Monitor, this data can be used instead of the ppApple Watch to Apple’s Sleep Mode Power features and section for sleep data in the Health app.
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Sleep data can also be contributed by third-party sleep tracking apps for the iPhone and Apple Watch.
View drag data
Sleep data collected by the Apple Watch can be displayed in the sleep section of the Health app. The Health app displays data on a weekly or monthly basis, allowing you to see your sleep tendency over time.
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The ppApple Watch collects sleep time, bedtime and heart rate, but it does not provide data above that. Some other fitness trackers include information on light sleep, deep sleep, and other parameters, but the Apple Watch sleep tracking feature is not.
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The sleep app of the health app provides charts about sleep duration over time, heart rate during sleep, and weekly, monthly, and annual highlights. It also shows average sleep time over the past week and has a chart of sleep consistency over time.
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Along with this data, Apple offers articles that iPhone users can take advantage of to improve their sleep, such as “Why sleep is so important” and “Sleep a good night” with tips and hints.
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Battery level notifications for Apple Watch
IOS 14 and watchOS 7 include new notifications designed to better track the battery level of your Apple Watch so that it can be used both day and night. There is a notification when the battery level is low and another notification that is sent when an Apple Watch has reached the full charge level so you know when it can be removed from the charger for a night’s sleep.
Battery usage varies when following sleep, but the feature appears at night somewhere to use 30 percent battery.
Features that you can use without Apple Watch
The actual sleep tracking feature that measures how long you have slept is limited to the Apple Watch, but all other related features like Sleep Mode and Wind Down are available even if you do not have a watch.
As mentioned above, you can configure this in the Health app. Just open the Health app, tap Browse, scroll down to Sleep, and tap it. From there, tap “Start” to set parameters that include a sleep goal, a schedule, and an alarm.
Feedback Guide
Have questions about the features in sleep in OSiOS 14 and watchOS 7, do you know of a feature we missed, or would you like to provide feedback on this guide? Email us here. If you want to know more about what’s coming up in iOS 14, make sure you check out our iOS 14 roundup.
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