Garmin Watch Sleep Tracking Problems: 5 Common Issues (Explained)

Many fitness enthusiasts and health-conscious people use their Garmin smartwatch to track their sleep patterns. 

But what happens if your sleep tracking doesn’t produce accurate results?

This article looks into problems encountered by users when trying to track their sleep and will provide solutions to resolve them.

Inaccurate Sleep Data

Accurate sleep tracking assists people in understanding their sleep habits, identifying sleep-related difficulties, and making the required lifestyle modifications to improve their sleep. 

This makes it a must-have feature for anyone who cares about their health and fitness.

However, several reported concerns with sleep data accuracy have left some users disgruntled and frustrated.

According to several users, their Garmin watches underreport their actual sleep duration.

This is especially troubling for those who rely on these devices to monitor their sleep for health reasons or to measure their progress over time.

Garmin claims their watches can distinguish between different stages of sleep, such as deep sleep and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. 

However, users have noted inconsistencies in these categories, with devices frequently misidentifying or neglecting sleep stages entirely.

Other users have expressed worries about their Garmin watches misinterpreting periods of wakefulness as sleep. This can result in incorrect statistics on sleep efficiency, making determining the overall quality of one’s sleep challenging.

What causes inaccurate sleep data?

Garmin watches primarily measure sleep using wrist-based heart rate monitors and movement sensors. These sensors may be less precise than more sophisticated equipment used in sleep laboratories, contributing to mistakes.

Another factor is that sleep habits differ widely among people, making it difficult for any one-size-fits-all gadget to deliver reliable data for every user.

In some instances, mistakes can be attributed to software faults that Garmin must address through updates and enhancements.

How can you resolve these inaccuracies?

It is critical to interpret Garmin sleep data as a basic guideline rather than as gospel.

Consider consulting a healthcare practitioner or using more sophisticated sleep-tracking equipment if you have specific sleep concerns or conditions.

Another important consideration is to wear your Garmin watch tightly and correctly on your wrist. A loose fit can result in inaccurate sleep tracking.

If you value precision, consider comparing your Garmin sleep data to data with other sleep-tracking devices, apps, or sleep journals. This will assist you in identifying patterns and anomalies.

Check out our article for a more in-depth answer: Do Garmin Watches Have Accurate Sleep Tracking? (We Checked)

Battery Drain During Dleep Tracking

Garmin watch battery problems are a very common sleep-tracking inhibitor, many users have found that they are unable to track their sleep effectively because of their batteries dying unexpectedly and in the middle of the night!

What causes battery drain during sleep tracking?

Sensor overload: The constant functioning of numerous sensors, such as the heart rate monitor, accelerometers, and gyroscope, is one of the leading causes of significant battery loss during sleep tracking.

These sensors are necessary for precisely tracking sleep patterns, but they can waste a large amount of electricity.

Brightness and backlight: If your Garmin watch has a bright or always-on display, this can add to power consumption while tracking your sleep.

Frequent Syncing: You can configure your watch to sync data with a paired smartphone or a connected app on a regular basis. Frequent data transfer can greatly contribute to battery drain, particularly while tracking sleep.

GPS and Connectivity:  If your watch is set to use GPS tracking or to stay connected to your smartphone, or other devices, this can be a significant power drain. Such features are often unnecessary during sleep tracking and you should probably disable them.

What can you do to prevent battery drainage when sleep tracking?

Well, there are several things you can do to prevent your Garmin battery from draining excessively.

• Adjust the sensor settings on your watch. You don’t need continuous heart rate monitoring for sleep tracking, so configure your watch to measure heart rate less regularly.
• Reduce the brightness of the display to a level that is noticeable but not too bright. To turn off the backlight during sleep tracking, enable the “Do Not Disturb” or “Sleep Mode” settings on your Garmin watch.
• Configure your watch to sync data with your smartphone or app less regularly. For sleep tracking, once a day syncing should suffice.
• Disable unneeded functions such as GPS tracking and connectivity when tracking your sleep. When you wake up and start your day, you can reactivate these functions.

Sleep Tracking Doesn’t Start Automatically

One of the reasons that has made Garmin a global brand is the sleep-tracking functionality. Normally, sleep tracking should start automatically once you pass the one-hour mark of sleep.

What stops sleep tracking from starting automatically?

More often than not, this is due to a Garmin technology glitch, which results in automatic tracking just not happening.

When you find yourself in this conundrum, it is important to start with the basics and work from there.

So, if your watch is in good working order but you’re still not seeing sleep numbers in the Garmin Connect app for additional analysis, it’s possible that the ‘Activity Tracker Sleep Mode’ is turned off.

To get accurate sleep statistics, you must enable this function.

Here’s how:

1. To access the menu, press and hold the Up key on your Garmin watch.
2. Scroll through the options with the button until you reach the ‘Settings’ option.
3. Choose ‘Settings’
4. Toggle the ‘Activity Tracker Sleep Mode’ option ON and OFF.

Your Garmin smartwatch should now start monitoring sleep again, and it should do so accurately.

If the Activity Tracker Sleep Mode is turned on but you are still struggling to get the sleep tracking to start automatically, it would be advisable to restart your Garmin watch.

A restart can help clear any minor glitches and bugs that could be the cause of the sleep tracking not starting automatically. Holding down the power button and following the steps will restart your Garmin watch.

Missed Sleep Metrics

Little is more frustrating than having a Garmin watch for tracking sleep only to discover that the data is missing in the Garmin Connect app. 

That’s especially true if you wear the watch all the time and it records your heart rate 100% of the time. 

What causes missing sleep data?

Missed Night’s Sleep: If you forget to wear your Garmin watch to bed or mistakenly turn off sleep monitoring for the night, the device will not collect any sleep data.

This missing information can lead to gaps in your sleep history, making it difficult to have a complete insight into your sleeping habits.

Sleep Interruptions: If you wake up in the middle of the night and then fall back to sleep, the watch may not always distinguish between these sleep intervals, potentially resulting in inaccuracies in your sleep stages.

Inconsistent Heart Rate Data: Inaccurate heart rate data can influence sleep stage prediction. Factors such as a loose-fitting watch, poor skin contact, or irregular heart rate readings can lead to discrepancies.

What can you do to ensure that your Garmin tracks your sleep more regularly?

We have compiled a list of useful tips to help you have less missed sleep metrics:

• Make charging your Garmin watch a habit during your morning routine. This guarantees that your watch has enough battery life to last the night and accurately record your sleep.
• Use the Sleep Mode or Do Not Disturb function to prevent notifications while sleeping. This saves battery life and prevents interruptions from interfering with sleep tracking.
• The accuracy of your Garmin watch’s sleep monitoring is largely determined by how tightly it fits around your wrist. Check that the watch is not excessively tight or loose, as this can interfere with heart rate measurements and movement monitoring.
• While it may be difficult, aim to maintain a regular sleeping environment to reduce movement-related tracking inaccuracies.

Outdated Garmin Operating System

Your Garmin smartwatch may not track your sleep the way it should if the operating system is out of date. An out-of-date operating system contains bugs, has security flaws, and is less usable.

In fact, if your Garmin watch freezes up from time to time, even when there are few apps or engaged functions operating, the operating system is most likely to blame.

To get the watch back on track, you need to update the firmware.

Follow the steps below to do this:

1. Navigate to the Main Menu on your Garmin.
2. Choose ‘Settings’, then ‘System’
3. Choose ‘Software Update’
4. Update the operating system of the watch to the most recent version.

Because you have updated the firmware on your Garmin watch, it should now collect the right sleep data. 

Pros and Cons of Sleep Tracking on Garmin Watches

Pros

Sleep tracking on a Garmin watch helps give you a better understanding of how you sleep and the quality of your sleep.

Things like heart rate monitoring during sleep can help you pick up when you regularly have an elevated heart rate while you’re asleep. 

These can assist people who are trying to better care for their mental and physical well-being as sleep affects our stress, energy, and concentration levels.

Cons

• Inaccurate sleep data
• Battery drain during sleep tracking
• Sleep tracking doesn’t start automatically
• Missed sleep metrics
• Outdated Garmin operating system

Sources

My Garmin has stopped tracking sleep: Troubleshooting tips

My Garmin watch kept tracking my sleep wrong – but it was a blessing in disguise