Study record · comparative · 2026
Performance evaluation of consumer sleep-tracking wearables and nearables in healthy young and older adults
Searles ME, Licata A, Cucinotta M, Kainec K, and Spencer RMC
Sleep Advances, 7(1), zpag006 · 2026
Why this study matters to CircaTest
First peer-reviewed paper to specifically benchmark consumer sleep-tracking devices against PSG in older adults (age 56-80) versus young adults (19-24). Critical because nearly every other study in the corpus is in young or middle-aged adults. The headline finding is that bias and limits of agreement are larger in older adults across all four tested devices, meaning the accuracy figures CircaTest cites for younger populations should not be directly extrapolated to readers in their 60s+. Also tests Withings Sleep Mat and Sleep Score Max (the nearable category), which CircaTest is in the process of adding to its catalog.
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES: Changes in sleep with aging are associated with risk for Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases, risk of accidents, and can be a predictor of health decline.…
Read the full abstract on the source →
Source: PUBMED · Excerpt for fair-use commentary; full abstract via the source link
Population
Sample size
n = 32
Age
young adults 19-24 (n=13) and older adults 56-80 (n=19)
Reference standard
psg
32 healthy adults split into two age strata: 13 young adults (19-24) and 19 older adults (56-80). One night of in-laboratory polysomnography with simultaneous wearables (Fitbit Sense 2, Oura Ring) and nearables (Withings Sleep Mat, Sleep Score Max). The novel contribution is the older-adult subgroup analysis.
Devices and metrics
Oura Ring (generation not specified in abstract)
All studies for this device →| Metric | Value | 95% CI | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bias (minutes) | -75.5 min | — | Older adults (n=19) only. TST underestimation, p<0.0001. Younger adult bias not stated separately in the abstract. |
| Bias (minutes) | -19.8 min | — | Older adults only. WASO bias, p=0.28 (not statistically significant). |
| Bias (minutes) | 71.5 min | — | Older adults only. Deep sleep overestimation, p=0.001. |
Fitbit Sense 2 (smartwatch, not Charge line)
All studies for this device →| Metric | Value | 95% CI | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bias (minutes) | -74.5 min | — | Older adults only. TST underestimation, p=0.012. Tested on Sense 2, mapped to fitbit-charge-6 device record because it is the closest brand sibling in the CircaTest catalog. Sense 2 is a different product line and the result should not be directly extrapolated to Charge 6. |
| Bias (minutes) | -44.1 min | — | Older adults only. WASO bias on Fitbit Sense 2, p=0.012. |
| Bias (minutes) | -29.3 min | — | Older adults only. Deep sleep bias on Fitbit Sense 2, p=0.013. (Note: the abstract reports this with the same negative sign as the underestimation metrics, but it is listed under the 'overestimated deep sleep' results group; treat the magnitude as the relevant figure and consult the full paper for sign convention.) |
Cite this study
Searles ME, Licata A, Cucinotta M, Kainec K, and Spencer RMC (2026). Performance evaluation of consumer sleep-tracking wearables and nearables in healthy young and older adults. Sleep Advances, 7(1), zpag006. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleepadvances/zpag006
Source links
Added to the CircaTest meta-analysis on 2026-04-06. How CircaTest evaluates studies →