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Sleep diary · watches and rings
Use your Garmin sleep in a sleep diary
Request your Garmin Connect data export and bring your Garmin sleep into a free, private sleep diary for insomnia (CBT-I). Step by step.
Step 1: export your data
- On a computer, go to garmin.com/account/datamanagement and sign in.
- Choose Export Your Data, then Request Data Export.
- Garmin emails you a download link, usually within a day or two (large accounts can take longer).
- Download the zip from that email.
Step 2: bring it into the diary
Open the sleep diary, tap From my watch or phone, then Choose file and pick the zip from Garmin's data export (or the file ending in sleepData.json inside it). You will see every night it found; tick the ones to add.
What the diary reads
When you fell asleep and woke, and your deep, light and REM sleep. Nights Garmin could not confirm are skipped.
Garmin's file records only when you were asleep, not when you got into and out of bed, and it does not say which time zone you were in. The diary uses the time zone of the device you import on, and marks each night so you can check the times.
🔒 Your file stays with you
The file is read inside your browser, on your own device. It is never uploaded to WhySigh or anyone else. The nights you add are saved in your browser, and if you sign in, as an encrypted copy only you can read.
🧭 Why you still check each night
Studies that compare watches and rings with sleep-lab tests find they estimate total sleep fairly well but are least accurate at telling when you are awake. And chasing better tracker numbers can itself make sleep worse; sleep researchers call it “orthosomnia”. A sleep diary for insomnia is about the night as you lived it, so the imported times are a starting point you confirm.
Sources: Kainec KA, Caccavaro J, Barnes M, et al. Evaluating accuracy in five commercial sleep-tracking devices compared to research-grade actigraphy and polysomnography. Sensors. 2024;24(2):635. → · Baron KG, Abbott S, Jao N, Manalo N, Mullen R. Orthosomnia: are some patients taking the quantified self too far? J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(2):351–354. →
Other watches and rings
Common questions
Can I export from the Garmin Connect app on my phone?
The full data export is requested on the Garmin website, on a computer or a phone browser.
The times are an hour or more off.
Garmin's file has no time zone, so if you were traveling or the clocks changed, adjust those nights after adding them.
Is my health data uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read inside your browser on your own device. Nothing is sent to WhySigh or anyone else.
Does it cost anything?
No. The sleep diary and the import are free, with no ads and no sign-up.
Can a watch diagnose insomnia or sleep apnea?
No. A watch can help you notice patterns, but only a clinician can diagnose a sleep problem. Loud snoring, gasping at night or heavy daytime sleepiness are reasons to see a doctor.