how your Garmin Tracks Sleep & Naps

Does Your Garmin Smartwatch Track Naps? Here’s How It Works

Garmin smartwatches offer nap-tracking features to provide insights into midday rest and its impact on overall sleep quality and daily performance.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of U.S. adults do not get enough sleep, while nearly 40% report accidentally falling asleep during the day at least once a month. The Sleep Foundation highlights the benefits of naps, including improved alertness, mood, memory, and physical performance. However, experts caution that naps cannot fully compensate for chronic sleep deprivation.

Source Garmin.com

Garmin devices use Firstbeat Analytics to detect naps during periods of extended inactivity automatically. Alternatively, users can manually log naps on compatible models, including the Approach S70, Venu 3, fēnix 8, Forerunner 965, and Enduro 3. While Garmin tracks the duration of naps, it does not monitor specific sleep stages—such as light, deep, or REM sleep—since naps primarily consist of light sleep due to their shorter duration.

Garmin devices’ personalised nap guidance feature suggests optimal nap times and durations. Recommendations typically encourage naps of 10–20 minutes, ideally in the middle of the day, to avoid disruptions to nighttime sleep. Naps longer than three hours or too close to regular sleep times are excluded from Garmin’s nap detection, as they are classified as regular sleep.

Source Garmin.com

Garmin’s guidance also adapts to travel across time zones, offering nap advice to mitigate jet lag. Nap data is factored into the device’s sleep coach recommendations and stress and Body Battery metrics, enabling users to manage energy levels and recovery throughout the day.

Source Garmin.com