Why Is My Fitbit Not Tracking My Sleep? Number 1 Issue!

“Why Is My Fitbit Not Tracking Sleep!”

If you are a user of the Fitbit tracker, you would be familiar with its emphasis on active tracking. Founded in 2007 Fitbit has not deviated from its ultimate goal: Providing top-of-shelf analysis. Yes, it has not always been accurate that doesn’t take anything from their dedication to serving the wireless wearables market. They were at the top of their game and they still are somewhere there.

But at times there have been problems…

Despite the ambitious venture the company embarked on 15 years ago, there have been sights of failures that it has faced, and to an extent its products. Malfunctioning Sleeping Trackers are one of those. In recent times many Fitbit owners have reported the failure of their smartwatches unable to capture the data. Some have even raised the points of a non-responsive state. While others complained about a broken syncing system that led to sleep records not being updated on a timely basis.

So, if you are one of those people who are at the time facing the issue of a rogue Fitbit Sleep tracking system. You are in for the treat. Because we have the answer to your concern.

Get To Know Your Fitbit Device!

Okay, the first thing that we need to understand here is that Fitbit is not the tracker, it is the company that makes trackers. However, their trackers/smartwatches/wearables whatever and however you might like to classify them do hold the ability to perform a different set of operations.

Now operations can vary depending on the model. For instance, Fitbit Zip doesn’t have the functionality of tracking sleeping patterns. If you own it you have the option to manually input the data by yourself. But if you are still asking ‘why won’t my Fitbit track the sleep’ then you need to know your smart device better.

In the same way, Fitbit Charge HR and Fitbit Surge are exceptions when it comes to calculating sleep cycles. Using them you can get the basic awareness and metric but that’s just about it. You wouldn’t be able to get the information regarding sleep cycles: light, heavy, REM.

Why Fitbit Might Not Be Tracking Your Sleep Properly?

There could be many reasons why your Fitbit is acting up and they can all be different. Some need more emphasis than others. Others not so much. But don’t worry, you won’t have to take apart your Fitbit to find them.

For now, go through the listed reasons and check if they match anything you might have done intentionally or unintentionally.

Your Fitbit Is Not Charged 

Although it would be obvious if the problem is recurring, if it has happened just once, then there is more than a good chance the reason you are not getting results for last night sleep is because your Fitbit died late in the night.

For sure, I don’t think I need to understand why a dried battery would have resulted in that, it’s pretty obvious. However, if it is indeed the problem, try fixing it, and if there is no solution, you can always try to replace the battery of your Fitbit.

You Didn’t Wear It Properly 

Fitbit requires you to have the tracker on your wrist properly. It should be neither too tightly wrapped around your wrist nor loose and hanging. So if you think that might have happened during the night, or there is a possibility it could have while you were asleep, then it explains the insufficient data.

For optimal performance, it is always recommendable to have the Fitbit making enough contact with the skin under the bottom. If you have tattooed skin and you are wearing Fitbit on the tattooed part it could also be one reason of aversion. 

Your Fitbit Hasn’t Been Cleaned 

Not many people consider it but if you haven’t cleaned your tracker ever since you got it then with time dust particles can accumulate in ports and block the sensors. Think about it, sensors rely on the physical connection with your body, if something (dirt, dust, sand) would be in its way wouldn’t there be performance fluctuations?

There is a Software Issue in the Fitbit

Fitbit trackers run on Fitbit’s proprietary Operating System. Even though unlike Google Wear OS it is more stable and optimized, there can be occasional bugs that might be the reason for the disturbance.

To run the operations smoothly there has to be something in the background, and since usually that is OS. Even a minor issue could lead to breakdowns.

Sleep Sensitivity Settings Are Set to ‘Low’

If you have Fitbit it is obvious that you would have its application installed as well on your smartphone. If not you should install it right away, it is available on both iOS and PlayStore. Anyways the reason it is being mentioned here is if your Fitbit sleep sensitivity settings would have been set on low then there could be problems.

It is vital to smooth capturing of Sleep statistics that your Fitbit is set to at least ‘Medium’ or ‘Sensitive’ Mode.

You slept for less than 3 Hours!

Fitbit has crafted a set of rules that all its trackers follow. When it comes to tracking your sleeping and giving it a score that you would keenly want to be high it follows one simple rule and it is that it won’t count a sleeping session that would be of less than 3 hours. Since Fitbit trackers take into account idle movement and resting heartrate to begin tracking sleep tracking.

If you would have gotten up before 180 minutes data won’t be painting the right picture.

You have clipped the Fitbit!

Although it is not an option that is available to all Fitbit trackers. If you are the owner of the Fitbit Inspire 3 or Luxe then you would be familiar with the clipping. To those who are not, clipping means attaching the tracker anywhere but on your arm.

So, if you are doing it or does that often then perhaps it could be the reason why your Fitbit is not tracking your sleep properly. The tracker must have contact with the body, and clipping it to a shirt or a collar doesn’t provide it.

How To Fix Fitbit Sleep Tracking Problem!

I am gonna be honest, I don’t like to wear smartwatches or trackers when I am sleeping. Maybe I am paranoid or I feel it’s too uncomfortable, I just don’t feel the need to have them. But I can’t say I don’t understand the reason for those who might want to or does.

Although I don’t like to, I have to, even if it was for testing the device. Either way, the point is I understand, it could be important to many. Hence I have collected the following solutions to present to you so that you won’t have to go to bed alone.

Grab The Cotton and Alcohol 

Since accumulated dust particles can clog the sensors, it should be your second line of action to clean your tracker. It is recommended that you use cotton and alcohol to wipe off all the parts.

Make sure to let it dry once you are finished.

Don’t wear the watch on the skin where lotion has been applied or there is a tattoo.

Make Sure Sync Is On

Quite often the reason you don’t see data updated on your Fitbit application on your phone is that there has been a disturbance with sync. Therefore in the likely event, you happen to find yourself in a situation where Fitbit is showing sleep data on tacker but not on phone then it’s a sign to set up the connection once again.

Change Position. Wear On Non-Dominant Arm

At times the reason trackers are not functioning properly or their specific function is not working is because we haven’t worn them properly. So, it is recommended that you make sure it isn’t the case with you.

Fitbit uses three metrics or in the same cases two metrics to make sure you have slept. Yes, you can manually tell the device too, for now, we are going to ignore it. So what happen is that your Fitbit tracker would take into consideration body movement, heart rate, and results from its proprietary algorithm. However, if you wouldn’t have the tracker attached to your body correctly, there could be hindrances. In which case you must have it worn correctly, but how can you do that?

Well, you can try to change positions, go for the non-dominant arm, and place the device above the wrist.

Plug The Charger

A dead device is a useless device. These are not my words nor an original idea but a basic understanding everyone should be well aware of. Therefore, you must make sure you have your Fitbit charged before hitting the sack.

Plug it in near the wall socket or if you have a computer in your lap, use it. Quite often the reason for unsatisfactory results is an unsatisfactory charging routine. You can also try charging Fitbit without a charger if you don’t have available. 

Grab The Phone & Change Settings 

As I have explained in the passage above, Fitbits runs on special considerations you provide. It takes what you have to offer and gives back what it can gather and it is not confined to the boundaries of tracking results. If you would keep feeding it with data your insights are likely to be the more personalized approach.

So if your Sleep Sensitivity settings are set to ‘Low’ you must grab your phone, go to the Fitbit application, navigate to the Advance tab and there toggle toward the ‘Normal’ or ‘Sensitive’ option. It would hopefully change fortunes.

For future reference, you can also do the following with a desktop. Instead of a mobile application, you would have to login into your Fitbit account through the website.

Turn On Sleep Mode

Although every new Fitbit device is by default set to automatically detect your sleeping stance. There is an option to manually inform the tracker before going to bed.

All you would have to do is go to Quick Settings and find the crescent and click on it. This will put your device under the Sleep Mode. If you feel confused about Fitbit icons feel free to check our guide.

Calibrate Heart Rate Sensor

Since Fitbit uses resting heart rate as a sign you have slept, your device must be perfectly calibrated to read heart rate.

Measure your heartbeat after each activity. Ensure that the device is keeping up with the trend. If it won’t there is a chance it is a malfunctioning heart rate sensor leading to poor sleep tracking.

Ensure Connectivity 

Just as your Fitbit and body must have a strong physical connection. It is also important that the Fitbit application on your smartphone and your tracker are maintaining a strong bond. Fitbit syncs data to the application using a Bluetooth connection, so I don’t see any problem in checking it out, who knows what you might find?

And it is not like it’s hard to pair the devices. You have to go to settings, disable the connection from both ends, let the devices find each other, click on pairing, and the rest is just the game of watching.

Turn Fitbit On & Off

Sometimes all we need is a good old turning on-and-off try. Yes, it might seem like a joke, but many software bugs and other issues can be resolved with a restart. All you need to do is press the switch for 10 seconds while the tracker is charging and wait to see a screen initiating the device.

It’s that easy!!!

Update The Software

Before we move toward our last two arrows in the quiver. I would suggest that you check for an OS update. Many times the reason that a function is not working properly is because of an algorithm change that has come with the new update.

So there is a good chance updating or rolling back Fitbit OS might become the hero of the story after all.

Purge The Device – Factory Reset It

If you are concerned about failed sleep tracking and everything else on the list has failed to bring anything to you. Perhaps it would be justifiable here to go for the factory reset. I would never want to and I know so would you, but Fitbit does sync data to the cloud, and you should always create a backup, so a loss might be tolerable.

Depending on the model you are using you might have to follow a different approach, but this is how it is usually done:

• Find the ‘Settings’ on your Fitbit Versa watch
• Tap on the ‘About’ section.
• Select ‘Factory Reset’ and give the final confirmation.

For Fitbit Charge series and how you can reset or restart them we have done a post here. If you own any of it you can find the help there.

Contact Customer Service

First of all, I am truly sorry if you are reading this because other methods didn’t work out, but this last option just might turn the tide around. Although a fair notice: Fitbit isn’t well-renowned for its customer service, however, they do get back.

So, you might have to wait but who knows what happens. Maybe they’ll give you a replacement. Maybe they’ll fix it for you.

It’s your imagination vs their resources.

Why Won’t My Fitbit Track My Sleep…

Alas, we have reached the concluding note and so is an opportunity for me to say I still don’t believe in vanity metrics. Yes, according to many scientific studies Fitbit devices have been proven to be quite accurate, but I still don’t see the meaning behind the scoring.

And no it is not because I think it is unsafe. It is not, you can wear smartwatches to sleep for 100 years and you are still 100% more likely to die from old age than cancer because of a watch.

But it is not about me…

It is about you and your problem and we at Chronoat deeply care about it. Hence the reason for this guide. As I sincerely wish and hope you can fix your issue. While I’ll wait for you to get back so that I can show you why Apple Watches are useless.

It is fun ; )