Garmin’s screenless sleep tracker is here, but it's definitely not what we expected

Garmin has finally lifted the lid on its long-rumoured screenless wearable, but it’s not quite what we had in mind.

The new Index Sleep Monitor is a smart sleep band that wraps around your upper arm like a blood pressure cuff and tracks everything from HRV status and sleep stages to breathing variations and skin temperature.

It's the brand's fifth product launch in a month, which also included the Forerunner 570 and Forerunner 970 running watches, the HRM 600 chest strap, the Venu X1 smartwatch and the Edge MTB cycling head unit, announced only yesterday.

Despite early speculation, the new sleep tracker isn’t part of the new Garmin Connect+ subscription and doesn’t seem to bring any exclusive paywalled features, for now, at least.

Instead, it’s designed to quietly complement your existing Garmin watch by covering the overnight data gaps many people experience if they take their watch off to charge or find it uncomfortable to wear while sleeping.

Not your typical Garmin wearable

And yes, it’s bigger than a watch band – much bigger! It has a soft wraparound strap with a module that can be removed for easy washing. Garmin calls it “ultra-comfortable”, though it looks closer to a medical device than your typical multisport watch.

Still, it’s what’s inside that counts, and Garmin has packed this thing with sensors.

The Index Sleep Monitor can run Pulse Ox tracking all night, offer a personalised sleep score every morning, and sync everything seamlessly to the Garmin Connect app.

It also supports women’s health tracking, using skin temperature changes to improve period predictions and ovulation estimates.

There’s even a smart wake alarm that uses sleep-stage detection to buzz you awake at just the right moment.

The device comes in two sizes and lasts up to 7 nights on a single charge, which should cover most of us between Sunday resets.

At £149.99/ $169.99/ AU$ 299, it’s less expensive than many Garmin watches, but more costly than some basic fitness bands with sleep tracking.

Head over to Garmin UK, Garmin US and Garmin AU to find out more.