Fitbit has long been in the market for better health metrics, scooping up as much data as possible in order to provide that (and, very likely, to create more products that it thinks you’ll buy). There’s a new sleep-based feature in store from the Google-owned fitness brand, as revealed by the most recent version of the app — snore tracking.
Goodnight Fitbit
And not in the usual, lets-be-competitive sense of tracking. Like its usually-excellent sleep tracking, the new Snore & Noise Detect feature will keep an eye — or, rather, ear — on just how much noise you’re making in the darkness. It’ll also measure just how much time you spend sawing logs, dividing your night up into three segments. If you’re an infrequent snorer, you’ll have been rattling the windows for less than 10% of the night. Do it more than 40% of the evening and you’ll be classed as ‘Frequent.’
There’s also decibel measurement, from Very Quiet (less than 30dBA, or about as loud as a conversation) to Very Loud. That clocks in at 90dBA, or as loud as a tractor or table-saw. It’s also not very pleasant to sleep next to. But… it’s not smart enough to say who is snoring, just that someone is. So that argument about who is making the most noise at night will continue until someone has video evidence.
Measurement comes by way of a mic in the Fitbit device itself but the company warns that it’s a little battery intensive. It recommends that devices are charged to at least 40% before attempting to use Snore & Noise Detect, which suggests that there’s a lot more charging in your near future. The feature hasn’t rolled out everywhere yet but, when it does, there may be one more addition: Fitbit’s also working on something called ‘Your sleep animal’. We’re not sure exactly what that entails but it will assign users to one or another sleep profile, based on the quality (or lack thereof) of sleep you typically attain.
Source: 9to5Google
