To get the answer of "can apple watch track sleep cycles", firstly it is necessary to understand what is sleep cycle and how it is different from sleep stages visible on apple watch sleep data.
What is a sleep cycle?
A sleep cycle is a recurring pattern of sleep stages that occurs throughout the night.
Each cycle typically completes in around 90 minutes.
Stages of sleep cycle
Sleep cycle involves several stages. Some consider these are 4 or some thinks these are 3. But apple watch shows them as two only.
Non-REM Stage 1: This is a transitional stage between wakefulness and sleep, characterized by light sleep and easy arousal.
Non-REM Stage 2: This is a deeper sleep stage, but you can still be easily woken up.
Non-REM Stage 3 and 4: These stages are the deepest sleep stages, often referred to as "slow-wave sleep." During this stage, your body repairs itself and grows.
REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep: This stage is characterized by rapid eye movement, increased brain activity, and vivid dreaming. It's essential for memory consolidation and learning. it occurs between each sleep cycle. You can say besides first cycle which starts from Awake , each next cycle starts with REM stage.
Just as a wave has a a trough, a sleep cycle has a pattern. The pattern starts with a shallow sleep (like the beginning of a wave), then gets deeper (like the trough of a wave), and finally becomes lighter again and attain REM stage.
Each wave represents a sleep cycle. The first few waves might be taller and more powerful (deeper sleep), but as the night goes on, the waves might become shorter and less powerful (lighter sleep). This means that the early part of the night is typically dominated by deep sleep, while the later part of the night has more REM sleep and lighter stages.
A typical night's sleep consists of several sleep cycles, with the duration and composition of each cycle varying throughout the night. Typically, a person goes through 4-5 sleep cycles per night. Each cycle lasts approximately 90 minutes. However, this can vary depending on individual factors like age, sleep habits, and overall health.
How sleep cycle is different from sleep stage
A Sleep stage is the individual phases within a sleep cycle. They are like the building blocks of sleep. There are four main stages: non-REM stages 1, 2, and 3 (sometimes combined into stages 3 and 4), and REM sleep. Apple watch show 1,2,3 or 4 stages as core sleep and deep sleep and REM with REM sleep.
A sleep cycle is the entire sequence of these stages that occurs over a period of about 90 minutes. So, a sleep cycle is like a complete set of building blocks, while the individual blocks themselves are the sleep stages.
Can Apple Watch Track Sleep Cycles?
Now, look at the sleep data provided by apple watch. Apple watch sleep data provides following graph, time spent in each sleep stage and total time spent in sleep. We are only taking graph because in sleep cycle it is only useful.
After learning scinteific graph of healthy sleep we can read above apple graph as following.
Above graph shows that it was a healthy sleep.
So, we can say that apple watch tracks sleep cycle and provides data nearly equal to scinetific research based data.
Conclusion
By understanding sleep cycles, sleep stages, and how your Apple Watch interprets your sleep data, you're empowered to make informed decisions about your sleep habits. Remember, prioritizing quality sleep is an investment in your overall health and well-being. Leverage the data from your Apple Watch and implement actionable steps to create a healthier, more restful sleep routine.
Comments
Post a Comment