The tie up between Misfit Wearables and Beddit has given birth to the Misfit Beddit sleep monitoring system. Developed in cooperation with Helsinki Sleep Clinic, VitalMed Research Center and professor Markku Partinen; an expert in the field of sleep research. You can be assured there’s some hard science behind the sleep monitoring. Let’s see if our snooze quality improved.

(Update 28th June 2015)

Beddit also sells their sleep monitoring system independently and they have done a nice job revamping the mobile app interface. This review covers the Misfit beddit app interface and also the independent Beddit app interface.

Look and Feel

The sensor strip is made of plastic with double sided tape on one side. It’s hard to imagine all the science is in this shiny white (or black) tape. The strip of plastic sensor is to be pasted flatly across the bed under the bed sheets, preferably at the chest level where you sleep.

The instructions state that the double sided tape can be removed and replaced should the need arise; have a roll ready. I personally found the strip a tad short to cover the entire length of the bed but a representative from Beddit has assured me that sleep monitoring is uninterrupted even if I’m not on the sensor strip throughout the night.

The Misfit Beddit sleep monitoring system runs on direct power via a USB plug so a source of power near the bed is a must. The system syncs with an iOS device which is required to run through the duration of operation so that’s two USB ports required.

Data presentation

Instead of merely tracking the body movement during sleep and correlating that with light and deep sleep, the Misfit Beddit system tracks a few other parameters to quantify the quality of sleep. With the system you get a lengthy list of stats to help you make sense of your sleep. And all these are wirelessly synced to your iOS devices, ready for you to view over morning coffee or your commute to work.

List of tracked stats:

• Restful and light sleep
• Time to fall asleep
• Time to wake
• Snoring
• Average heart rate

Plenty of information but useful only if you can make sense of it. Not for everyone but I thought it’d be much more useful if the trend over time for the tracked stats was summarised so I can make more sense out of it.

Anything Else?

Besides sleep tracking, the other key function of the Misfit Beddit is its ability to wake during a light sleep cycle. You can choose from a list of sounds to fall asleep to and wake up from and the list is pretty extensive; including favorites like rain and thunderstorm to forest in the night. The customisation goes as far as programming how long the sleep sounds should play.

I get about 6 hours of sleep on a daily basis and I still feel tired despite waking up during my light sleep cycle. Perhaps the full effects will be felt over time with prolonged usage of the Misfit Beddit. Phone speakers do not do justice to the list of sounds to fall asleep to. If you can afford to, a pair of small speakers might aid your journey to slumberland.

Snoring tracking is via the microphone on the iOS device, probably one of the reasons why the iOS device must be synced to the Misfit Beddit and switched on through the night.

I’ve gotten used to waking up with the vibration from my Jawbone UP2 and I wished that feature was incorporated into the Misfit Beddit but I know that’s a tad too much to ask.

In a Nutshell

Pros:

1. Small and un-intrusive; no need to wear anything
2. Smart alarm clock
3. Sleep and wake up sounds
4. Syncs wirelessly

Cons:

1. Android version of the Misfit Shine app featuring sleep tracking though Misfit Beddit not available for now.
2. Trend data over time would be a bonus.

Physical activity, a sensible diet and good quality sleep are factors that affect how we function throughout our lives for most of us. As we try to cramp more to-dos into the limited 24 hours, sleep is normally compromised. There’s a multitude of research out there stressing that sleep is the period of rest the body needs in order to function properly.

If you’re serious about getting better quality sleep , the Misfit Beddit system does offer capabilities, backed by research, beyond most fitness trackers out in the market.

Beddit standalone app interface

The identical sleep monitoring system sold by Beddit supports  both Android and iOS platform and I’ve attached screen captures of the Beddit app runnning on iOS platform. The company revamped their app interface in June 2015 and I thought it’s only fair they deserve mention for the good work they’ve done.

In fact, I’ve ditched the Misfit app system for the standalone Beddit mobile app.

It’s a really long screenshot so I’ve cutting it up for ease of reading. There are plenty of expandable tabs do whenever you see a downwards pointing arrow, it expands to more information.

From the screen capture above, I could get more detailed information about resting heart rate (RHR) and the time during sleep when the highest and lowest RHR were detected.

Beddit also allows users to send feedback if with regard to the usage of the sleep monitoring system. There’s a new family web app as well. If you’re used the Beddit for a while now, you’ll automatically be awarded a sleep score. For me at least, it seems the higher the sleep score, the more rested I felt.

There’s another bonus in the form of sleep tips. Beddit allows you to choose from a whole list of topics which you may wish to receive tips about. It could be sports, stress or even insomnia. The tips will appear in whenever your review your tracked sleep data.

The Beddit sleep monitoring system syncs with Apple Health as well. There are currently 2 versions of the Beddit sleep monitoring system on the market; a Classic and Smart versions. The main difference is the presence of the Smart over the Classic version is Bluetooth 4.0 and Smart measuring – monitors sleep without opening the mobile app on iOS devices only.

The Beddit sleep monitoring system is available in black or white and you can usually get it at a discount at Amazon.

You may be interested in:

• Withings Aura sleep monitoring system
• 7 Sleep trackers: GadFit’s Picks