I tried sleep coaching on Galaxy Watch 8. Here's why you should too

Digital Trends

6 days ago

I've used many of the best smartwatches, but when it comes to sleep, few companies offer the same Sleep detail and insight that Samsung does. Sleep has been core to the Samsung Health strategy since the Galaxy S4 in 2013, which introduced basic sleep tracking and led to the behemoth that is Samsung Health today.
Many companies offer some level of sleep tracking, but fewer offer detailed analysis, and none provide the same detail as Samsung does. A key differentiator of Samsung Health's Sleep offering is Sleep Coaching, and the use of Sleep animals to offer relatable and actionable insights.
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While reviewing the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic over the past few weeks, I tried Samsung's sleep coaching, and within a couple of weeks, my sleep animal has already improved. Having also used Samsung's Sleep Coaching in the past, I'm also surprised by how much my sleep quality has improved over the past few years.
Why Sleep Animals are a great concept
Samsung first debuted Sleep Animals in a software update to the Galaxy Watch 4 in early 2022, but the earlier version lacked some of the core insights and impact that the latest version provides.
Although the insights have improved, the Sleep Animals and their core meaning haven't changed. There are eight in total, split across four levels, with several factors that determine which animal and level you are. The goal is to improve your sleep and raise it to Level 4, otherwise known as the Lion.
Here are the eight animals and their core interpretations:
Level 4: Lion — healthy sleep patterns, consistent timing, sleeping deeply enough
— healthy sleep patterns, consistent timing, sleeping deeply enough Level 3: Penguin — Getting enough sleep and a consistent time, but waking up too often
— Getting enough sleep and a consistent time, but waking up too often Level 3: Walrus — Sleeping at consistent times, but not long enough or waking up often
— Sleeping at consistent times, but not long enough or waking up often Level 3: Mole — Getting enough sleep without waking often, but at inconsistent times
— Getting enough sleep without waking often, but at inconsistent times Level 2: Deer — Sleeping at regular times but tossing and turning or waking up often
— Sleeping at regular times but tossing and turning or waking up often Level 2: Hedgehog — Sleeping for long enough, but spending too much time awake
— Sleeping for long enough, but spending too much time awake Level 2: Alligator — Not enough total sleep, waking up too often, and inconsistent timing
— Not enough total sleep, waking up too often, and inconsistent timing Level 1: Shark — Lack of sleep time, tossing and turning throughout, and inconsistent timing
Many of those characteristics will be familiar to most people, and as I've found, Samsung's Sleep Coaching is surprisingly effective at gamifying your sleep.
Why Sleep Animals are impactful
I like Samsung's sleep animals because they help users understand the various sleep metrics the Galaxy Watch 8 can measure.
Rather than having to look at data and deduce findings yourself, Samsung's Sleep Coaching and Animals make it easy for anyone to understand how they're sleeping, and crucially, how to improve their sleep. Sleep Coaching focuses on improving your sleep holistically, rather than trying to focus your attention on one specific metric.
As part of the sleep coaching, you receive daily actionable insights on various areas to focus on. These aren't specific metrics but rather core themes such as sleeping at a consistent time, getting consistent sleep, and tips for relaxing before you sleep. Each of these includes a video that briefly explains why this metric matters and how to improve it further.
Sleep Coaching is a great way to help users understand why they should improve their sleep, set a goal to achieve (in the form of a sleep animal), and learn how to achieve that goal. As you progress through the levels, it provides a welcome sense of achievement, while also improving a key metric around your health.
Meet my old, and new, Sleep Animals
When I tested my Sleep Animal in December 2023, I was the Shark as each key characteristic described me. I slept infrequently and for short periods, was always tired, and generally felt lethargic in daily life.
I'm testing my sleep animal now; I've made considerable progress and have now achieved Penguin status. Some of this is due to actionable insights provided by the various Samsung wearables I've used over the past couple of years. However, all of the improvement is due to the underlying knowledge about sleep learned from Samsung Health.
Had you asked me, I would have guessed that I'm either a deer or a mole when asleep, but the penguin result has surprised me. It's also inspired me to achieve Lion status, and I'm eager to see how long it takes to reach this milestone. Given I'm fairly concerned about my sleep, hopefully this means I'll sleep more deeply and better as well.
Why you should try the Galaxy Watch 8 series
Any of Samsung's recent Galaxy Watch wearables should feature Sleep Coaching in some form, but if you want the most detailed data — and therefore, the best insights — you'll want to consider the Galaxy Watch 8 or Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.
Both of Samsung's new wearables deliver the best Galaxy Watch experience to date. Alongside the accurate heart rate measurements and AI health insights from the Galaxy Watch 7, the Galaxy Watch 8 series also includes vascular load monitoring while sleeping, which further enhances the quality of the sleep report and the insights that follow.
There are also new bedtime recommendations, which directly impact the Energy Score feature from the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch Ultra from last year. Similar to the latter, combining the Galaxy Watch 8 series with a Galaxy Ring allows Samsung Health to determine which data stream has less noise and is therefore more reliable.
Samsung's Sleep Coaching is one of a kind
The biggest surprise in Samsung's Sleep Coaching is the detail and value of the insights provided within the app. Devices like the Oura Ring or Whoop band both offer excellent insights, but they both require a subscription payment. Samsung delivers all of this for free and has committed to keeping these features free in the future.
Meanwhile, both Apple and Google have improved the Sleep insights and reporting provided in the Apple Watch Series 10 and Pixel Watch 3, but it remains to be seen whether either chooses to copy Samsung in the future. If they do — perhaps starting with the Pixel Watch 4 next month, or the Apple Watch Series 11 the month after — I hope the insights are as impactful as Samsung Health.