There’s nothing more frustrating than using your Garmin watch to track sleep only to end up with missing data in the Garmin Connect app. That’s so especially if you wore the watch all the time and it had your heart rate recorded 100% of the time. But why is your Garmin not tracking sleep?
Your Garmin is not tracking sleep at all because the Activity Tracker Sleep Mode is off, the Battery Saver Mode is active or the firmware is outdated. Also, it’s possible that the watch has a system glitch or the Garmin Connect app is not up to date.
And here’s the thing:
These problems aren’t difficult to fix. Which is why in this guide, I show you exactly what to do to get your Garmin watch to track sleep again.
Why Won’t My Garmin Watch Track My Sleep?
I’ll get into more details as to which your Garmin watch suddenly stopped tracking and showing sleep stats in the Garmin Connect app shortly.
First, here’s a summary of the possible causes and the best possible fix to consider:
| Probable Cause | Possible Solution | |
| 1. | Your Garmin watch has a system glitch. | Restart the Garmin watch to clear stored cache and fix system glitches. |
| 2. | The Activity Tracker Sleep Mode is off. | Turn on the Activity Tracker Sleep Mode to activate sleep tracking. |
| 3. | You activated the Battery Saver Mode. | Go to the Power Manager and turn off the battery saver mode. |
| 4. | The watch’s operating system is not up to date. | Check if there are new updates and install to keep the watch OS version current. |
| 5. | The Garmin Connect app runs on an obsolete version. | You should update the Garmin Connect app to the latest version. |
How Do I Get My Garmin Watch to Track Sleep Correctly?
Whether your Garmin watch stopped tracking sleep or it’s not doing so accurately, here’s what you can do to fix the problem:
1. Restart Your Garmin Watch to Fix System Glitch
If your watch isn’t reporting accurate sleep stats to the Garmin Connect every morning, it’s highly likely you’re dealing with system glitch.
Restart the smartwatch to fix the problem.
- Press and hold down the power key until the watch turns off.
- Release the power button once the watch goes off.
- Now, press and hold down the power button again to turn your Garmin Watch back on.
Rebooting the smartwatch helps to clear all system errors, allowing your Garmin to resume tracking metrics accurately – and that includes your sleep data.
2. Turn on Activity Tracker Sleep Mode
Here’s the deal:
Your Garmin can tell if you’re sleepingby examining your heart rate, heart rate variability, and movement. But it needs more to take this information and show it in the Garmin Connect app.
So if your watch is in good condition, but you’re still not getting sleep stats in the companion app for further analysis, there’s a high chance the Activity Tracker Sleep Mode is not active.
You need to enable this feature to get correct sleep stats.
To do this:
- Press and hold the Up key on the watch to launch the menu.
- Use the button to scroll through the options until you highlight the Settings option.
- Select Settings.
- Toggle the “Activity Tracker Sleep Mode” feature.
- Exit Settings.
Your Garmin smartwatch should now resume tracking sleep and do so accurately.
3. Update Garmin OS to the Latest Version
Your Garmin smartwatch is not tracking your sleep because the current version of the operating system is obsolete.
An out of date OS has bugs, security issues, and less usability.
In fact, if you see your Garmin watch freezing up from time to time, even when there are few apps or activated features currently running, there’s a high chance the OS is the issue.
Update the firmware to get the watch back on track.
To do this:
- Go to Main Menu on your Garmin.
- Select Settings.
- Choose System.
- Select Software Update.
- Update the watch’s operating system to the latest version.
Your Garmin watch should now collect the correct sleep data, as you have the firmware updated to the latest version.
4. Deactivate Battery Saver Mode
The battery saver mode is a helpful function that keep Garmin battery from dying. But it’s also the reason why your watch won’t track sleep at all.
Here’s why:
If you activate the battery saver mode on Garmin, all the apps, including the ones running in the background, will close automatically.
With the Advanced Sleep Tracking inactive and Activity Tracker Sleep Mode deactivated, Garmin won’t track your bedtime stats.
So turn off the battery saver mode for Garmin to give you credit for your sleep.
- Go to the Main Menu on your watch.
- Find Power Manager.
- Tap Power Saver.
- Select During Sleep
- Toggle off the power save mode.
Once you deactivate the battery-mode, your Garmin watch will track sleep each time you go to bed and report the stats to the Garmin Connect app.
How to Get Accurate Sleep Data on Garmin
Interestingly, your Garmin watch may be tracking sleep but not reporting accurate data to the companion app.
This can be frustrating to look at every morning. But fixing the issue is a no brainer.
Here are three things you should do to get accurate sleep data:
1. Secure the Watch Correctly on Your Wrist
The first thing you need to do to get accurate sleep stats each morning on the Garmin Connect app is to ensure you’ve properly worn the Garmin Watch on your wrist.
It shouldn’t be too tight, or you risk hurting your wrist.
And the strap shouldn’t be too loose, or the optical sensors will miss your movements and fail to get the data it needs to collect your sleep data.
Remember, Garmin combines your movements and heart rate to determine your daily sleep report. And the first step to ensure it gets the reporting accurate is to wear the watch correctly.
2. Update the Garmin Connect App to the Latest Version
The next thing you need to do after updating the Garmin operating system is to check whether the companion app is current.
As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, wearable brands release companion apps updates to fix bugs, improve user experience, and add new features.
If your watch is tracking your sleep properly but you can’t see your insights in the Garmin Connect, you have to update the companion app to get back on track.
- Connect your smartphone to the internet.
- Go to Google Play Store or App Store – depending on your phone.
- Tap the update link to install new updates.
And that’s it.
3. Set the Sleep and Wake Window Correctly
You also need to ensure you set the correct sleep and wake window on your Garmin.
Doing so will go a long way to ensure you get the correct sleep data on the Garmin Connect app – all the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is My Garmin Watch Not Showing Deep Sleep?
Your Garmin watch is not showing deep sleep because you turned the optical Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) off.
Simply turn the Heart Rate Monitor back on, and your Garmin watch will resume tracking sleep in stage and give you stats for the deep phase.
2. Is Garmin Deep Sleep Accurate?
Unfortunately, the deep sleep data offered by Garmin is not 100% accurate.
In testing, all the three sleep stages return an accuracy value of about 69%, with the wake stage getting closers to 73% give or take.
While Garmin doesn’t guarantee 100% accuracy, in particular because these aren’t medical devices, the data you get is still helpful. If anything, the estimate can help you improve your sleep habits over time.
3. How Do I Get My Garmin Watch to Track Sleep?
There are many reasons why your Garmin watch may fail to track your sleep, but the main reason is that the Activity Tracker Sleep Mode is off.
You will need to go to Settings and turn the Activity Tracker Sleep Mode on.
