Wizard
When you open AutoSleep for the first time you are greeted by the Wizard, but it is available to repeat the Wizard at any time from the Settings.
The Wizard is a step by step guide to setup all the core components to use AutoSleep effectively, such as understanding if you wear a Watch to bed. If you haven't used AutoSleep in some time or you have significantly changed sleep patterns, we recommend using the Wizard to make sure AutoSleep is suited to your sleeping behaviours.
By default, the method you chose when you installed the app is selected.
You are able to enable both options and they will automatically switch. If one hour or more of sleep is detected when wearing the Watch, then the wear Watch method is automatically used for this day.
Note: If you have had your Watch on charge for an extended period, and have not slept wearing the Watch yet, then the time that the Watch was on charge will show as sleep. However, the app will self correct as soon as it detects one or more hours of watch wearing sleep.
Set Goals
Along with the Wizard setup above, Set Goals is a critical component to ensure you have AutoSleep tailored to your sleeping targets. By default, AutoSleep will apply the most common goals for users based on research standards, but we recommend these be reviewed and updated as required. AutoSleep makes this easy by providing information on each of the goals along with showing your current averages to easily compare. Set Goals include:
Sleep Duration Goal
Quality Sleep Goal
Heart Rate Dip Goal
Deep Sleep Goal
REM Sleep Goal (only shows when in Sleep Stage mode)
Deep Stage Goal (only shows when in Sleep Stage mode)
Note: any time you update your goals, any AutoSleep views that use your goals will update too. For example, if my sleep duration goal was originally 8hrs and I had 8hrs sleep, my sleep duration ring would be green, but if I changed my goal to 9hrs my sleep goal ring would be orange and below my 100% goal.
Sleep Goal
Studies show most adults require 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Use the '-' or '+' symbol to decrease or increase your sleep duration goal. The sleep goal screen will show last nights sleep duration along with your current 7 day average, to help you understand what may be an appropriate goal.
Quality Goal
The Quality goal is based on a percentage of your required sleep time, considering how long you slept, how restless and your sleeping heart rate. As you use AutoSleep more you will better understand how sleep quality relates to how you feel. Most people find 70% to 80% a good starting point, but this can be updated using the '-' or '+' symbols.
Dip Goal
The heart rate dip compares your sleeping heart rate average to your non-active daytime heart rate average. The most common dip is from 10% to 15% and this is the default value set as normal, however this can be adjusted higher or lower using the available options of athlete (15-20%), normal (10-15%), lowish (5-10%) or low dip (0-5%).
Deep Sleep Goal
Studies have shown that most adults require 1.5 to 1.8hrs of deep sleep per night. When put as a percentage of sleep time, most people achieve 10% to 30% of time in deep sleep. Use the '-' or '+' symbol to adjust your goal, noting that the Dip Goal may also need to be adjusted to better reflect your deep sleep duration.
Note, if you are using the Sleep Stages mode, this will be replaced by the Deep Stage Sleep Goal.
REM Sleep Goal
This goal will only show when the Sleep Stages mode is on. Refer to the Sleep Stages page to understand more about this mode and activating.
Note: remember to hit the 'Save' link in the top right corner if you want to apply any modifications to your goals.
Notifications
You can set the time you would like to receive a notification from AutoSleep, providing a summary of how you slept. Use the +/- icons to elect a time for the notification to send. You can also elect to only send the notification is your iPhone is unlocked by using the 'Wait until iPhone unlocked' toggle. If you wish to turn off the sleep summary notification, just toggle the 'enable notification' switch to off.
Note: Notifications are also found in the Today view under Time Asleep
Bedtime Reminder
Bedtime reminders are calculated from your latest bedtime. This is the latest possible bedtime to ensure that your sleep bank remains in credit. AutoSleep learns your most likely waking time for tomorrow based on your history and considers your current sleep efficiency and sleep bank balance to calculate a latest bedtime.
Reminders before your latest bedtime can be set to notify you at 10 mins, 30 mins, 60 mins, 90 mins or 120 mins beforehand, just tap the appropriate value. You can also select multiple reminders, for example, if you would like a notification at 60 mins and 10 mins before bedtime. When a notification appears, you can swipe down to show the clock and a snooze button.
Refer to Latest Bedtime to learn more.
Charge Reminder
AutoSleep allows you to setup Watch charge reminders that pop up and show your current Watch battery level and a recommendation if you need to charge the Watch. Its an amazing help for one of the most common questions we get which is "when do I charge my Watch if I am to use it for sleep tracking?"
Refer to the Watch Charge page for more information.
For WatchOS 6 and higher, AutoSleep now has a native Apple Watch Smart Alarm. It even works in flight mode. Its all controlled from the AutoSleep Watch app.
Refer to the Smart Alarm page for detailed information.
For users setting up HomeKit, you need to enable this switch to allow permissions to use run scenes. There is also a permission on your Apple Watch to enable. Refer to the HomeKit page for more instructions on using HomeKit.
Apple introduced Sleep Stages into its Sleep app as part of the WatchOS 9 release. This allows users with an Apple Watch Series 4 or above to access Sleep Stage data (note that AutoSleep Sleep Analysis still works for all models of Apple Watch). Refer to the Sleep Stages page for full information on using Sleep Analysis or Sleep Stages in AutoSleep.
For users with an Apple Watch Series 8 or Ultra, wrist temperature allows you to monitor temperature measures and variations over time. When this switch is enabled, Wrist Temperature will appear as a new gauge in the Today tab and also on the Clock tab under the Wellness section. By default the metric used is Celsius, but this can be changed to Fahrenheit using the 'Show in F' switch. Refer to the Wrist Temperature page for full details on setup and use.
Sleep/Wake Calibration
Calibrate your default sleep/wake detection by choosing one of the levels displayed. This changes the sleep detection sensitivity. Level 1 will detect less sleep, more wake time. Level 10 will detect more sleep, less wake time. Try to use the lowest level that has the most accurate results.
Additional information on your sleep detection can be found in the Calibrate page.
Advanced Options
As the name suggests, various other advanced settings are included under this option. Each are detailed below.
Time Awake (mins)
AutoSleep can handle multiple sleep sessions over a night, but for the majority of users we just have one primary sleep session. However, different users have different sleep patterns, so you can elect a time span to inform AutoSleep when a new sleep session should be recorded. For example, if you visit the restroom during the night you most likely do not want another sleep session recorded, however if you have to maybe go for a drive and come to back to bed a couple hours later, then a new sleep session should be created. Here you can define the time difference before a new in bed sleep session is created. We find the default 240 mins apply's well for most users, but this is fine to update if required.
iPhone Handled Means Awake
If wearing your Watch to bed, you can use this option to tell AutoSleep that you are awake if your iPhone is handled. Beware that the slightest motion of your iPhone will trigger that you are awake if this is on, so be sure to have it on a stable surface where you or others do not bump it.
Awake When Driving Detected
Fixes a WatchOS 9 related bug where the Watch might think you are asleep when driving. The bug is that it stops recording motion on the Watch when you are driving, therefore AutoSleep will think you are asleep. To counter this we use the iPhone motion sensor to detect when you are driving and mark this period as being awake. This setting is in advanced options but is automatically enabled.
Awake When Recently Driving
Linked to the above Driving setting to apply a very short time period before and after driving. The default setting is on. This extra option to turn off has been added for some users who may go straight to sleep after driving within a 5-10 minute window.
Allow Zero Deep Sleep Values
By default when you first setup AutoSleep, it will ignore zero values of deep sleep in trend reporting. However users can elect to include zero values by using this toggle.
Support Older Watches
There were some changes in iOS 13 and above that prevented use of the AutoSleep Watch app on the old 2015 model Apple Watch. We've worked around this by provided an option at install time that will enable the old timer to be used. Enabling this option will allow support for Series 2 and older Watches.
HRV - Waking HRV
Allows users the ability to only use the waking HRV measurement for Readiness, as opposed to using the automated best sleeping HRV or waking HRV reading. Switching this toggle on means you need to do a breathe session to capture a HRV measurement as part of your Readiness score.
Curved Lines
By default the lines in the Sleep View Graph will show as straight, but if you prefer the curve just enable the 'Curved Lines' switch. Note that the straight lines help reflect a more precise measure, as they don't need to curve to the next data point, but its really personal preference and both offer a great representation.
Hide Micro Graphs
By default all micro pop-up boxes such as SpO2, Noise and Respiration Rate will show on the Sleep View Graph. This options allows users to turn off these extra metrics and just show bpm, movement and the sleep stage. This is especially handy for users with older Watches or iPhone where they may not be able to capture SpO2 or Respiration, so this saves quite a bit of space and doesn't clutter the screen.
Show Stars
By default the Readiness ratings will use a descriptive text to prove a rating, like the word "Great". Turning this off will replace the descriptions with a star value from 1 (poor) to 5 (optimal).
Last bedtime
This is used in the Sleep Consistency tile on the Today tab. By default the switch is on which will use the most recent nights bedtime against the last 7 day average. If the switch is turned off, it will use your current 7 day average against the preluding 7 day average.
kJ instead of Cals
This is used in the HeartWatch Morning Briefing under the Move section, as the data is looking at your energy expenditure. By default the unit of measure will be in Calories, but just tap the switch to change to kJ.