On average, according to the statistics, the German sleeps 492 minutes every night. That’s eight hours and twelve minutes. Lucky to be able to say that about themselves. But many get less sleep, even if they no longer have small children.
Even half an hour of lack of sleep impairs performance in the short term and health in the long term. The sleep tracker Withings Sleep provides an insight into what is happening at night, but the device also makes suggestions as to when it would be best to go to bed.
Few gadgets can be put into operation as quickly as that of the former Nokia subsidiary: The Sleep is a mat, slightly larger than a guest towel, and is rolled out and placed on the slatted frame of the bed, roughly at chest level. The long USB cable that plugs into a power plug remains the only clue to the Withings Sleep. Now all you have to do is connect the mat to the French company’s Health Mate app, and then the tracker will start working.
The app shows how restful the sleep was
Night after night, it uses a pressure sensor to log the sleeper’s movements, heart rate and breathing rate. In the morning, the app shows a sleep index, which is calculated from the duration of sleep, the depth of sleep, interruptions, the regularity of sleeping and getting up times, and the time it takes to fall asleep and get up. This way you can quickly see how relaxing the night was. The intuitive Withings app also shows the resting heart rate, an indicator of fitness, for example. The question of who snored when is also answered to the minute.
The Withings Sleep measuring method seems unusual – but in the test it delivered comparable results to various fitness trackers on the wrist. Even the resting heart rate fits. The sleeping mat can be connected to the Internet service IFTTT. Then, for example, after falling asleep, the light goes out.
The Withings app, which medical researchers have also collaborated on, also helps to develop better sleeping habits. Unfortunately, there is no alarm clock. The sleep tracker is nevertheless an intuitive piece of high-tech that can contribute to a better night’s sleep for an acceptable price of just under 100 euros.
