Fitbit’s new Alta HR fitness band introduces a new sleep centric function. One that will help promote healthier sleeping habits among its wearers by not only providing insights into their sleeping patterns, but also giving advice on how to make lifestyle adjustments.
The Sleep Stages function combines both the heart rate sensor and accelerometer to keep track of the wearers sleep patterns. This data is then presented in the Fitbit app, showing a graph of how well the night went in terms of sleep.
Each nightly rest is broken into four stages: awake, rapid eye movement (REM), light sleep, and deep sleep. People cycle through these four stages several times a night, with each stage achieving a different goal in maintaining and repairing the body.
Sleep Insights records these graphs and attempts to present ‘actionable guidance’ for the wearer. Ideally showing them were they can improve in terms of staying up too late and not getting enough sleep.
Fitbit quoted a survey that claims 42 percent of Malaysians admit to lacking enough sleep each night. This same survey noted that, on average, Malaysians were only getting 6.4 hours of sleep per night. A number far below the recommend eight hours of sleep.
Both Sleep Stages and Sleep Insights are available on the new Fitbit Alta HR, which is currently available in stores from RM730. The features are also being shared with the Fitbit Blaze and Charge 2 through a future software update.
