Performance of consumer wrist-worn sleep tracking devices compared to polysomnography: a meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Sleep Science and Technology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Digital Health

Background:

• Increasing consumer interest in sleep health drives the adoption of wearable sleep tracking devices.
• The proliferation of consumer wrist-worn devices necessitates validation against established sleep assessment methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a meta-analysis comparing sleep scoring accuracy of consumer wrist-worn sleep trackers against polysomnography.
• To evaluate the reliability of popular wearable devices in measuring key sleep parameters.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across major databases (SCOPUS, EMBASE, Cochrane, PubMed, Web of Science, KoreaMed, OVID Medline) up to March 2024.
• Meta-analysis of data from 24 studies involving 798 participants, comparing devices (Fitbit, WHOOP, Apple Watch, etc.) with polysomnography.
• Analysis of sleep parameters including total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep latency, and wake after sleep onset.

Main Results:

• Significant differences were found between consumer sleep trackers and polysomnography for total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep latency, and wake after sleep onset.
• Subgroup analysis indicated no significant difference in wake after sleep onset for Fitbit compared to polysomnography.
• Publication bias was not detected for total sleep time and sleep efficiency.

Conclusions:

• Wrist-worn sleep tracking devices demonstrate limitations in accurately measuring critical sleep parameters compared to polysomnography.
• Physicians and consumers should exercise caution when interpreting data from these devices, recognizing their potential inaccuracies.
• Further research and technological advancements are recommended to improve the clinical validity and accuracy of consumer sleep trackers.