Sleep Latency Issues

Understanding Sleep Latency

To calculate Sleep Latency (how long it takes you to fall asleep), Athlytic relies on two types of sleep data stored in Apple Health:

1. Sleep Stage Samples (Tracked by Apple Watch) – These indicate when you were actually asleep (REM, Core, Deep sleep).
2. In Bed Samples (Previously Tracked by iPhone) – These record when you were in bed but not necessarily asleep.

Since Sleep Latency compare the time between being in bed vs. actually asleep, both data types must be present in Apple Health for Athlytic to calculate them accurately.

Changes in iOS 18 & watchOS 11 – No More In Bed Samples

With iOS 18 and watchOS 11, Apple has stopped recording In Bed samples entirely. This means:

• There is currently no way to track Sleep Latency using Apple’s built-in Sleep Tracking.
• Apple also removed their “Time Awake” feature, possibly due to accuracy concerns.
• If you do not have an "in bed" sample in Apple Health, you will no longer see Sleep Latency.

Workarounds for Tracking Sleep Latency

If you still want to track Sleep Latency, here are some possible solutions:

Use a Third-Party Sleep Tracking App That Saves In Bed Samples

Some third-party apps continue to save In Bed samples to Apple Health such as “Pillow”, a free sleep tracking app.

How to Use Pillow as Your Sleep Tracker in Athlytic

1. Download Pillow from the App Store.
2. Ensure Pillow is set up to save sleep data to Apple Health.
3. Open Athlytic → Settings → Preferred Sleep Tracker.
4. Select Pillow as your sleep tracking source.

We are actively exploring ways to reintroduce Sleep Latency in a meaningful way without relying on Apple’s now-removed In Bed samples.

For now, using a third-party sleep tracking app that records In Bed samples may be the best solution. We appreciate your patience and will provide updates as we work on alternatives!

Not seeing Sleep Latency?

Issue 1: No iPhone “In Bed” Samples in Apple Health

If your iPhone is not saving In Bed samples, then:

•Sleep Latency will always be 0 minutes (because there is no recorded time before sleep starts) and therefore, Athlytic will not show this card if the data is not available to calculate it.

How to Check if You Have In Bed Samples

1. Open Apple Health (white app icon with a red heart).
2. Tap Browse → Sleep.
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Show All Data.
4. Look for Sleep Stage samples (from Apple Watch) and 'In Bed' samples (from iPhone).

If you only see sleep stage samples, then your iPhone is not tracking In Bed samples, and Sleep Latency & Efficiency cannot be calculated correctly.

If none of these troubleshooting steps resolve the issue, consider reaching out to Athlytic support for further assistance.