Activity Tracker.

[Drew]

As I get older and have more stress in my life (kids, work, $, etc), I find that some nights I just can't fall asleep. Maybe it's stress, maybe it's because I slept in too much that morning, not sure. I am looking for an activity tracker that also does sleep tracking, so I can try to correlate good/bad sleep with other life events. The goal is to eradicate the poor sleep nights, because if I get poor sleep on a Sunday night, sometimes the whole week goes to shit.

Anyway, for those of you that have activity trackers, which do you use/like and why? I am very familiar with the Garmin suite (use an Edge 510 for cycling) and am considering them heavily, but I'm open to anything. I use an Android phone if that makes a difference. I am also considering a connected scale to track my weight as well.

I would like a watch style tracker, so I can also use it on hikes and other family outings. Thinner the better (I am desk bound for a lot of my days and thick watches aren't great to wear while typing).

Any and all input is appreciated.

Best

Drew

[dashDustin]

queue up Withings.

Ours actually looks like watches (I have the Steel HR 40mm...wife has the Steel HR in 36mm), and keeps the important info at our fingertips without looking obvious. Those were pretty important factors for me. I had a Garmin Vivo, but...it just looked like an activity tracker, which bugged me.

There are a couple different scales that it'll sync up to (both Withings products), and we have one of those, as well.

So far, we're both pretty happy with the products.

And the battery life still really, really impresses me.

[AngryScientist]

if i were going to wear it all day, it would have to be either the withings or the garmin that look like regular watches. in an office setting, or even otherwise, i think it just looks silly to wear one of those black rubber things that everyone seems to have these days. i have the garmin one, and it works fine as an activity tracker, but i dont use it every day at all.



i know a lot of people like their withings too.

the smart scale is awesome, i have one and use it daily now. it's a motivator to not eat that last slice of cake when i know i've got the graph of my weight fluctuations in the back of my mind, and i DONT want to see it trending UP. mental tricks do work.

just some other advice for not sleeping well. i think that's almost always a case of being more mentally tired than physically tired. try and find a way to wear your body out along with your mind by the end of the day.

additionally, depending on your daily routing, it has helped me, my wife and kids to sleep better to develop an EOD (end of day) routine, which includes NO screen time (look up what blue light can do to your sleep, if you didnt know.,..) and just a process of shutting down the brain for the night.

good luck to you. good sleep and restful time is probably the single biggest factor key to improving the rest of your life.

[joosttx]

Whoop. I really like it.

[Drew]

queue up Withings.

Ours actually looks like watches (I have the Steel HR 40mm...wife has the Steel HR in 36mm), and keeps the important info at our fingertips without looking obvious. Those were pretty important factors for me. I had a Garmin Vivo, but...it just looked like an activity tracker, which bugged me.

There are a couple different scales that it'll sync up to (both Withings products), and we have one of those, as well.

So far, we're both pretty happy with the products.

And the battery life still really, really impresses me.

On Withings - How do you replace or charge the battery? I can't seem to find that info anywhere. People rave about the battery life, but if I have to take it apart or take it to a jeweler for battery replacement, rats a real bummer.

The styling is great, I agree.

[Matthew Strongin]

On Withings - How do you replace or charge the battery? I can't seem to find that info anywhere. People rave about the battery life, but if I have to take it apart or take it to a jeweler for battery replacement, rats a real bummer.

The styling is great, I agree.

The Steel HR has a little dock and a rechargeable battery. I wear one now and I love it. The Activite series, which I had prior to my Steel HR and also loved, takes a standard watch battery and it's very easy to replace at home. I only had to do it once in the year plus of wearing the watch. The Withings work really well and they look great. Since I got mine four other family members have bought one because they liked it and I'm pretty sure my parents will be joining the club soon.

There's also a thread here that has a lot of information on the various options as well as some info on how some of us have incorporated these types of devices into our daily lives. I got mine for very similar reasons to you, Drew. I was concerned about my sleep quality. The watch really helps me stay on top of things. Also, like Angry, I have the scale, which I find to be a great complement to the watch. Anyway, much more here...

http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum...lst-43172.html

[false_aesthetic]

I've been using a Fitbit Charge 2 for the past week. I got it mostly to help track calorie expenditure but the sleep tracker was a bonus.

A week in, I'm not so sure the sleep thing does me any good. I move a lot in my sleep. I've always moved a lot in my sleep. Right now it tells me that between 10pm and 6am I'm only really getting 3.5 - 4 hours of real sleep.

OK. Maybe. Now what?
I've known when I can't sleep.
I've known when it's bad sleep.
I've known when there's a fucking cat trying to mate outside my window.
I've known when it's the LAPD chopper shining a search light in my window.

Wise Fitbit, tell me what I should do?
Do I have to go look for a new mattress?
Should I buy a 2nd bed so that the lady doesn't wake me up as much?
Do I need aroma therapy?
A new job?
A better pillow?
Silk pajamas?

[Drew]

The Steel HR has a little dock and a rechargeable battery. I wear one now and I love it. The Activite series, which I had prior to my Steel HR and also loved, takes a standard watch battery and it's very easy to replace at home. I only had to do it once in the year plus of wearing the watch. The Withings work really well and they look great. Since I got mine four other family members have bought one because they liked it and I'm pretty sure my parents will be joining the club soon.

There's also a thread here that has a lot of information on the various options as well as some info on how some of us have incorporated these types of devices into our daily lives. I got mine for very similar reasons to you, Drew. I was concerned about my sleep quality. The watch really helps me stay on top of things. Also, like Angry, I have the scale, which I find to be a great complement to the watch. Anyway, much more here...

http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum...lst-43172.html

This is very helpful. Thank you.

The Withings items are also much more financially attractive.

[Drew]

The Steel HR has a little dock and a rechargeable battery. I wear one now and I love it. The Activite series, which I had prior to my Steel HR and also loved, takes a standard watch battery and it's very easy to replace at home. I only had to do it once in the year plus of wearing the watch. The Withings work really well and they look great. Since I got mine four other family members have bought one because they liked it and I'm pretty sure my parents will be joining the club soon.

There's also a thread here that has a lot of information on the various options as well as some info on how some of us have incorporated these types of devices into our daily lives. I got mine for very similar reasons to you, Drew. I was concerned about my sleep quality. The watch really helps me stay on top of things. Also, like Angry, I have the scale, which I find to be a great complement to the watch. Anyway, much more here...

http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum...lst-43172.html

Do you use a Garmin product for cycling? I am curious to know if the Garmin stuff and the Withings stuff can talk to each other and collate their data in one place. I feel like it would be akin to having a iWatch with an Android phone... two totally different ecosystems, leaving me to interpret between the two.

[joosttx]

regarding the docking station, the whoop has a recharge which you recharge and then slip onto the strap. I like this because it mean you dont need to ever take the strap off. I put the recharger on at night and then take it off in the morning. Its a really nice feature.


H

[joosttx]

The other thing I like about whoop is it is a measure of stress. Its intended for physical stress but it I find works with stress in general. As a business traveler its amazing how travel events my stress. Several days on the road is about equal to a hard day in the saddle on the stress level.

[j44ke]

Apple has a watch app that is called Breathe. You set how often it comes on and how long each program lasts. It also comes on when your heart rate accelerates over a certain level. It basically coaches you to breathe deeply for a set length of time by following vibrating prompts for each breath. Totally stupidly simple app, but it makes a difference if you take a moment and follow it.

Of course, if you are really busy, it is just another thing vying for your attention and creating more stress, but otherwise ...

[joosttx]

Note how I dont recover when I travel.....

[joosttx]

Apple has a watch app that is called Breathe. You set how often it comes on and how long each program lasts. It also comes on when your heart rate accelerates over a certain level. It basically coaches you to breathe deeply for a set length of time by following vibrating prompts for each breath. Totally stupidly simple app, but it makes a difference if you take a moment and follow it.

Of course, if you are really busy, it is just another thing vying for your attention and creating more stress, but otherwise ...

Jorn,

Check out Spire. https://www.spire.io/ Does the same thing but more. It is always on and monitors your actual breathing.

[sk_tle]

I've been using a Fitbit Charge 2 for the past week. I got it mostly to help track calorie expenditure but the sleep tracker was a bonus.

A week in, I'm not so sure the sleep thing does me any good. I move a lot in my sleep. I've always moved a lot in my sleep. Right now it tells me that between 10pm and 6am I'm only really getting 3.5 - 4 hours of real sleep.

OK. Maybe. Now what?
I've known when I can't sleep.
I've known when it's bad sleep.
I've known when there's a fucking cat trying to mate outside my window.
I've known when it's the LAPD chopper shining a search light in my window.

Wise Fitbit, tell me what I should do?
Do I have to go look for a new mattress?
Should I buy a 2nd bed so that the lady doesn't wake me up as much?
Do I need aroma therapy?
A new job?
A better pillow?
Silk pajamas?

^---- This.

Can you guys enlighten me on what is the purpose about monitoring your sleep ? Genuine question. I usually know when I don't sleep enough, well usually it is because I go to bed way too late and wake up too early. I know I'm not build to sleep only 5h a night. What does it do to you ?

[joosttx]

^---- This.

Can you guys enlighten me on what is the purpose about monitoring your sleep ? Genuine question. I usually know when I don't sleep enough, well usually it is because I go to bed way too late and wake up too early. I know I'm not build to sleep only 5h a night. What does it do to you ?

Sleep is important for recover and that is why it's important to measure it. Whoop basically does two things 1) measures your stress via heart rate variblility hrv and recovery via sleep and hrv. It will prescribe the amount of sleep you need based on stress and prior lack of sleep . It will prescribe how make stress (training) to do based on hrv which increases usually with good sleep (recovery)

[AngryScientist]

^---- This.

Can you guys enlighten me on what is the purpose about monitoring your sleep ? Genuine question. I usually know when I don't sleep enough, well usually it is because I go to bed way too late and wake up too early. I know I'm not build to sleep only 5h a night. What does it do to you ?

i agree with joos that sleep is an important recovery activity, and i think that monitoring your sleep situation is an indicator and gauge of how well you're doing. even if you dont have any more physical time to dedicate to sleeping, if your tracker shows that you are sleeping poorly, there are steps you can take to improve the quality of sleep. i've written about some of the stuff i've done elsewhere, but eliminating screen time 1/2 hour before bed and developing a quiet "shutdown sequence" for my mind has significantly increased my quality of sleep. there are other things you can do to get more rest in the same amount of downtime with some experimentation and effort.

as working people in the real world, i would guess most of us could definitely benefit from more actual hours to dedicate to sleep, but you gotta do what you can do...

that's my take on it anyway.

[Drew]

^---- This.

Can you guys enlighten me on what is the purpose about monitoring your sleep ? Genuine question. I usually know when I don't sleep enough, well usually it is because I go to bed way too late and wake up too early. I know I'm not build to sleep only 5h a night. What does it do to you ?

My goal is to keep a diary of "daily events" and food intake for a couple of weeks and try to correlate that to sleep quality. My hope is to identify an outlier in daily activities, sleep time, some type of food/caffeine/time of eating, that will help me identify what is causing my sleep issues. I could probably accomplish this without the sleep tracker, but I am also interested in the side benefits of tracking activities with my kids, and looking at my heart rate/stress levels throughout the day at work to try to level that out.

Doctors and pills are my last resort. And who doesn't like a new gizmo?

Inevitably, spending $ on the gizmo will at least make me think about working to improve this stuff, which always has a placebo effect as well.

[sk_tle]

Thanks guys,

I am aware of the effect of blue light and although I can't seem to always eliminate screen time before it is a bit mitigated by the of use redshift and f.lux softwares to diminish that impact.

[TTX1]

Something I've learned about activity tracking:

For general health, it's more important to watch your trend line over time than to monitor the day-to-day and moment-to-moment values.

Applies equally to sleep, stress, cardio metrics, etc.

A single measurement, e.g., "6.2 hours sleep last night" isn't meaningful without context. It's the trendline over time that counts, since it shows whether you are gaining, losing, or maintaining a pattern.

Most of the best apps provide trend lines for key metrics - notably, Apple Health converts values imported from other apps into a trendline, even if there is no trendline in the native app.

In terms of the Withings/Garmin mashup - There isn't a direct integration, however Withings works with Apple Health, Google Fit, MyFitnessPal, MapMyRide, Nike+, and a bunch of other apps. If you share your Withings data and your Garmin data with one of those apps, you get a consolidated dashboard. Withings also has 10 types of automatic activity detection and another 26 types of activities can be manually logged to correlate with workouts, etc., including cycling.

Houston's Whoop is pretty novel, but still requires frequent charging (although you don't need to remove the tracker to do it). Members of the team came from the ill-fated Quanttus - I knew a few them here in Cambridge. HRV will be an increasingly popular metric in the coming year or two for all brands of trackers. The Withings HR doesn't have HRV, but does have continuous HR tracking for 25 days.

One of the main obstacles to consistent tracking - and establishing a real trend line - is frequent charging. The "set it and forget it" aspect makes this problem go away.