Do you sleep with a Garmin Watch on?

Made an investment in a Garmin watch and wish to get the most out of it? If so, you might be wondering, ‘do you sleep with Garmin watch on?’

There are both advantages and disadvantages of wearing a Garmin watch while you are dozed off. It can be beneficial for tracking your sleep patterns, but it is essential that you gain an understanding of the potential risks that come with it and assess whether or not this practice is right for you.

I went through the official recommendations of Garmin in this regard and interviewed a number of Garmin enthusiasts before writing this piece.

Do You Sleep With Garmin Watch On?

There are risks and advantages both, of wearing a Garmin watch while you are snoozing. It is essential that you gain an understanding of the potential risks that come with doing that and determine if this practice is right for you or not.

It is true that a Garmin watch emits low radiation levels, but it may still pose some health concerns if worn for lengthy periods of time.

What I personally do to ensure staying away from these risks is that I keep my Garmin watch at least two inches away from my body while I sleep, care free.

It is especially crucial that you do not place it on your chest or near a sensitive body part.

Another issue that many users face and report is the discomfort it causes while sleeping. Although it is not something I myself find problematic, but I can understand that many people do given the watch’s weight and size.

If someone feels that it is an issue, it can interfere with their ability to get comfortable in bed and can lead to a poor sleep quality.

Also, the straps and bands that some Garmin watches are adorned with are made from or consist of materials that may not be comfortable for sensitive skin or allergies.

Another concern that I hear often is that wearing a Garmin to bed can cause its battery life to decay quickly and users have to charge it more often as well. The reason for that is that the GPS capabilities and other such functions remain active while you sleep.

How Does My Garmin Watch Know I’m Sleeping?

Garmin watches are furnished with a built-in sleep sensor called the Body Battery. This advanced heart rate monitor tracks your activity level all the time.

The Body Battery quantifies the amount of energy you have in reserve on the basis of factors like heart rate variability, stress levels, and activity intensity. It then makes use of this information for assessing your overall health and well-being.

When the users go to bed, the Body Battery determines the time they spend asleep and the time they spend awake across the whole night. 

It also notes your breathing patterns to assess if you are sleep stages are deep or light. Whatever pieces of data the Body Battery collects gets saved in the watch’s memory and the users can then sync with the Garmin Connect app.

Should You Wear Your Garmin All The Time?

Whether or not you should wear your Garmin all the time is a personal decision and one that will depend on how you plan to use it. If you are an avid runner and want to measure your performance accurately, wearing it consistently is beneficial.

If all you seek is to use it for only essential activity tracking and heart rate monitoring, you do not need to wear it constantly.

When you wear a Garmin watch all the time, it provides valuable insight into your overall fitness level by keeping track of your movements all the time.

It monitors the steps you take, the calories you burn, and even the quality of your sleep and prompts you to rest enough to perform at your best. A Garmin can track more complex data as well like speed, distance, heart rate zones etc., for individuals that engage in intense physical activities.

But when it comes to the cons of wearing your Garmin all the time, the one that tops the list, in my opinion, is your obsession with numbers. It prevents you from taking it easy and enjoy your life and relax even when you are not working out. 

Another disadvantage it can give rise to is skin irritation and/or discomfort, especially if you have a sensitive skin type. Some people find it uncomfortable around their wrists and having it on all the time is not a favorable option for them.

Does Garmin Track Heart Rate While Sleep?

Garmin trackers can track your heart rate while you are sleeping. This is an excellent feature, in my personal experience, as it helps you to stay aware of your health and fitness progress while you rest.

The models that have this feature like Garmin Vivosmart HR+ and Forerunner 735XT etc., measure heart rate through the night with the use of optical sensors that use LED lights that reflect off the skin and send information about your pulse to the device.

The tracker then brings this data to use by calculating the average resting heart rate, store calories burned during sleep, and other metrics like sleep duration, time spent in light and deep sleep stages, and the number of awakenings.

One thing I want to mention here is that the accuracy of the heart rate measurements can be different for different users pertaining to factors like skin tone, body temperature, hydration levels etc.

Key Takeaways

• Wearing a Garmin watch while sleeping has pros and risks both.
• Safety concerns are associated with wearing the device for long periods of time.
• The watch can be uncomfortable to wear to bed due to its weight and size.
• Some features function while you are dozed off leading to battery drainage.
• I recommend you keep it two inches away from you while sleeping.