Performance of Fitbit Devices as Tools for Assessing Sleep Patterns and Associated Factors

Abstract

As sleep duration and quality are associated with various diseases, many devices have been developed to assess sleep. We reviewed the devices used to assess sleep and their performance, focusing on Fitbit, one of the most popular devices for tracking sleep. Although previous studies have reported conflicting results regarding Fitbit’s estimation of the sleep index, most studies have shown that it has acceptable accuracy and high sensitivity. Its performance could be affected by various factors such as participants’ sleep characteristics, sleep hours and stages, analysis methods, devices compared, device models and settings, and the dominant/non-dominant wrist wearing the device. Therefore, these factors should be considered when using Fitbit to assess sleep patterns.