Real-World Use of Consumer Sleep Devices: A Rapid Review

As awareness of sleep's role in health grows, consumer sleep technologies (CSTs) have gained wide use among both researchers and the public. These devices offer continuous, noninvasive sleep tracking in real-world environments. However, understanding their accuracy compared with that of polysomnography (PSG), the gold standard in sleep measurement, remains limited, particularly in free-living settings and clinical populations. Assessing CST performance and usability in these contexts is essential for guiding future adoption.

This review identified 29 studies evaluating CSTs in ambulatory settings. CSTs showed moderate accuracy in estimating total sleep time and time in bed but lower precision for sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, and stage classification. Rapid eye movement and deep sleep estimates were particularly unreliable. Multi-sensor devices modestly improved basic sleep-wake detection, and contactless devices offered lower user burden but limited portability. Few studies included clinical populations such as individuals with insomnia, depression, or older adults. Only a small number explored CSTs in intervention delivery, and integration into clinical care remains minimal.

CSTs may support general sleep monitoring under real-world conditions, especially for duration and circadian timing. However, accuracy remains limited for sleep staging and fragmentation, and most devices have not been validated in diverse or clinical populations. Ongoing improvements in device design, signal integration, and algorithm transparency are needed to enhance CST reliability and clinical relevance.