Withings Sleep Analyzer review: an unobtrusive yet effective way to track sleep

The Withings Sleep Analyzer tackles sleep analysis differently to the rest of the best sleep trackers on the market. Rather than being a wrist-based tracker, you place it under your mattress plugging it into a nearby power source, and leaving it to do its work quietly in the background.

Conveniently hands-off until you want to check the Withings app for more details, it lacks the finer details that some alternatives provide, such as advice on how to improve your sleep, but in terms of sheer depth of statistics, it's a great option. It'll even track any risk of sleep apnea giving you some insight into snoring and any breathing issues while you snooze.

Simply put, if you're serious about sleep analysis and don't need the range of features you'll find in today's best fitness trackers – steps, calories burned, and so on – the Withings Sleep Analyzer is a good purchase to make even if it is quite expensive for its very focused intentions. Read on for our full Withings Sleep Analyzer review.

• Struggling to drop off? Try some of the best sleep headphones
• Perhaps it's time to invest in the best mattress, too?

Withings Sleep Analyzer Mat review: price and release date

The Withings Sleep Analyzer is available directly from Withings for GBP £99.95 / USD$99.95 / AU$199.95 or for around £120 from third-party retailers such as Amazon.

It's only available in one colour – grey – but you won't see it often as it'll be soon located underneath your mattress. The key feature to the Withings Sleep Analyzer is its ability to track your sleep without you needing to switch it on each night, as well as monitoring any sleep apnea risks and checking how much deep sleep you're achieving each night via the Health Mate app.

Withings Sleep Analyzer Mat review: setup and use

The Withings Sleep Analyzer takes hardly any set up at all. Refreshingly, once it is set up, you don't really have to think about it again. Installation is a matter of placing it under your mattress (with cardboard recommended to go between it and slats if you have a slatted bed base) and plugging it into a mains source nearby. With a fairly long cable, this isn't as much of a problem as you'd expect as it can easily be tucked away. 

Once you've got that far, a brief calibration process via the Health Mate app sets things up for your mattress in particular with the Withings Sleep Analyzer making some interesting whirring noises as it adjusts to the size of your mattress. Note – you'll need two of these if you share your bed and want to analyse both occupants at the same time. 

As expected, there's a set up process for the Health Mate app but it's simple stuff and it ties in well with other apps such as Apple's Health app so you can get the full picture on your health if you use multiple wearables alongside the mat. 

The best thing here is that the Withings Sleep Analyzer doesn't need to be activated at any point. It simply works in the background, leaving you to check the Health Mate app any time you want to know more about your sleeping habits. It's easily the most hands-off way of analysing your sleep out there.

Withings Sleep Analyzer Mat review: features and sleep tracking

Outside of sleep tracking, the Withings Sleep Analyzer doesn't really offer many features. The Health Mate app ties into other related apps so, for instance, on iOS, you can view your steps, calories, heart rate and other information gleaned from something like your Apple Watch or Fitbit, but the focus is still squarely on sleep tracking. 

As a dedicated tool, the Withings Sleep Analyzer is very comprehensive. With most data gathered from its pneumatic sensor, the mat is able to identify and separate different types of movement. That includes being able to tell the changes in pressure caused by your pulse, breathing, and any tossing or turning you may make at night. There's a built-in microphone too which isolates any noise of snoring and figures out if the noise could be something else such as traffic or your pet wandering around. 

Combine the two, and you're offered a ton of statistics each morning once you open the Health Mate app. Helpfully, you're given an overall 'sleep score' which is then broken down into duration, how long it took you to get to sleep, how long it took you to get up, and any interruptions that may have occurred. The higher the better, and the more reassuring. There are graphs too. Lots of graphs. Each of which helps you figure out where your sleep is going well and where it's struggling. When we compared it to other sleep trackers, its results seemed pretty accurate too with only minor discrepancies when it came to incorrectly spotting a lazy lie-in rather than a time when we were genuinely asleep. 

The Withings Sleep Analyzer is a little basic when it comes to offering genuine advice to go alongside that (other than the usual 'work on your sleep hygiene before going to bed') but being able to see your sleep pattern is useful guidance nonetheless. A simple sleep score and a reassuring 'restful night' message certainly eases one's concerns. 

The killer feature here is also how the Withings Sleep Analyzer tracks sleep apnea. With sleep apnea disrupting sleep for many by causing your breathing to become more difficult when you're asleep, the mat looks out for any signs of it becoming a major problem, before suggesting tests and providing guidance on what to do next. It's something that immediately propels it above wrist-based trackers that just can't achieve such results. 

Withings Sleep Analyzer Mat review: comfort and fit

One advantage to the Withings Sleep Analyzer is that you're not wearing it. While other fitness and sleep trackers require you to tether the band around your wrist the Withings Sleep Analyzer is easily forgotten about. A thin grey cloth-based mat, you place it under your mattress and forget its existence. It's not noticeable in the slightest.

The only issue here is because it can't utilise a battery for fear of overheating, you'll need to leave it plugged in overnight. With a long cable, that's not much of an issue but if you prefer to be wire-free, you'll need to spend a little time tidying away cables so it's unobtrusive in your home. 

Withings Sleep Analyzer Mat review: verdict

The Withings Sleep Analyzer is an excellent sleep tracker. Easily one of the best options out there, it's highly accurate at tracking your movements at night as well as detecting any potential issues along the way.

That comes at a price because, of course, this is solely a sleep tracker rather than a means in which to test your overall fitness. It's an expensive gadget then but one that's worth the investment if you're serious about improving your sleep or you're worried about sleep apnea. 

Its level of convenience means you won't have to worry about maintaining it regularly or even looking at the app often although that's missing the point really. However, if you're looking for something with more functionality, you may find a regular fitness tracker such as a Fitbit Charge 4 will offer you nearly as competent sleep tracking with the bonus of all-day tracking too. 

Withings Sleep Analyzer Mat review: also consider

When it comes to pure sleep trackers, the Withings Sleep Analyzer Mat can't really be beaten. However, if you're looking for the best fitness trackers your options are far more varied. 

The Fitbit Charge 4 is an obvious first option as it offers the same sleep tracking tools that all Fitbits provide along with GPS and a nice style to it that means you won't feel too weighed down by it on your wrist.

Alternatively, you can go even cheaper with the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 which provides simple sleep tracking as well as heart rate monitoring, all for those on a tight budget, often available for about £20.

Or, go the other way and buy an Apple Watch Series 6. It's over the top for sleep tracking alone and you'll need to feel comfy wearing a more chunky device during the night but with comprehensive sleep tracking apps available through Apple and its App Store, you won't be short of options here. Alongside that, it's a stylish device for all day wear and provides extensive health sensors including a blood oxygen monitor and ECG tool too.