Is Fitbit not showing your sleep score? Try these fixes

Fitbits are a great option if you want insight into your sleep habits.

If you own a newer version of Fitbit with a heart rate sensor, you can see how much light, deep, and REM sleep time you get each night. 

Fitbit also features an easy-to-understand and personalized sleep score to give a quick snapshot of how restorative your sleep is. 

But what if your Fitbit sleep score is not showing or only shows your sleep score for two days out of 7 even though you have worn your Fitbit for seven nights?

Or perhaps your sleep scores were showing, and now they are not?

Several reasons you may not be seeing your sleep score on your Fitbit or inside the Fitbit app.

It could be an issue with syncing, the app version you are using, the App’s settings, or heart rate reading and settings. 

This article outlines fixes to help solve your Fitbit sleep score issues.

Quick checklist

1. For App update issues
   • Log out of your account and then log back in. 
   • Update the Fitbit app to the latest version. 
   • Uninstall and reinstall the app.
2. For syncing issues
   • Re-sync.
   • Enable always connected. 
   • Enable All-Day Sync.
3. Settings issues
   • Reset sleep goal settings.
   • Don’t select going to bed. 
   • Delete the sleep log. 
   • Change sleep sensitivity settings.
   • Turn off receive sleep insights.
4. For heart rate issues
   • Check heart rate settings.
   • Try wearing your Fitbit in a different position.

Related reading

• Fitbit not tracking sleep, or is not accurate? Let’s fix it
• How to setup and use Fitbit snoring detection features
• Fitbit doesn’t turn on clock when you tap it? Screen wake not working? Let’s fix it!
• Fitbit heart rate not working or inaccurate? Let’s fix it
• How to pair your Fitbit to your iPhone, iPad, or Android device

Look at the Fitbit app 

1. Log out of your account and then log back in

Logging out forces the Fitbit app to reload all your information from the servers and display all sleep data correctly.  

1. Open the Fitbit app.
2. Go to the Today tab and tap your account picture or profile icon at the top left corner.
3. Scroll down and choose Log Out.
4. Once logged out, tap Log In and follow the steps on the screen.

2. Update the Fitbit app to the latest version

1. On your phone, open the App Store or Google Play Store and check if an update is available for the Fitbit app.
2. If there is an update, tap the Update button.
3. Once your device updates the Fitbit app, open it and go to your sleep report. Check if your sleep score is now visible.
4. If you still don’t see it, restart your phone and check again.
5. If the sleep score still doesn’t show up, restart your Fitbit. Do this via the Settings app on most Fitbits, then choose Reboot or Restart Device.
   1. For smartwatches, press and hold the side button for 10 seconds until you see the Fitbit logo on the screen.
   2. For trackers, place the Fitbit tracker on its charger and plug it in, so it’s charging. Then, press the side button(s) for 5 seconds (Inspire Series) or 8 seconds (Charge 3 & 4) and release the button. Wait for a smile icon and your tracker to vibrate to indicate it restarted.
   3. To learn how to restart your specific Fitbit model, see our page: Need to restart or reset your Fitbit device? Learn the steps.

3. Uninstall and reinstall the Fitbit app

Removing the Fitbit app from your device and then adding it back often gets features like the sleep score to show up.

Before removing the Fitbit app, sync your Fitbit with the app to upload your data to Fitbit’s servers.

• Open the Fitbit app, tap your account icon, and choose your Fitbit device’s name to sync manually.
• Then, scroll down and tap Sync Now.

Once you sync your Fitbit to the app, go ahead and remove the Fitbit app from your phone.

For Android devices:

1. Open the Settings app and go to your list of apps.
2. Find the Fitbit app and tap Uninstall. Confirm you wish to delete the app.

   

3. Open the Google Play Store app and search for Fitbit.
4. Tap the Install button to re-install the app on your device.
5. Once installed, open the app and sign in with your Fitbit account credentials.

For Apple (iOS) devices:

1. Find the Fitbit app on your home screen.
2. Press and hold the app icon until the quick action menu appears.
3. Choose Remove App.

   

4. Press Delete App to confirm you want to remove it.
5. Open the App Store app and search for Fitbit.
6. Tap the Get button to re-install the app.
7. Once installed, open the app and sign in with your Fitbit account.

Check out any sync-related issues

1. Re-pair your Fitbit to your phone’s Bluetooth

1. Go to your phone’s Settings app and choose Bluetooth.
2. Find your Fitbit device and tap it.
3. Select Forget or Forget This Device.

   

4. Restart your phone. 
5. Open the Fitbit app, wait for a pairing message, and then follow the steps to pair your Fitbit to your phone’s Bluetooth.

   

Don’t see a pairing message?

Check your Fitbit app notification settings if you don’t see any pairing message on your phone.

1. Open the Fitbit app > Today tab and choose your account picture or icon.
2. From your account list, tap your Fitbit device’s name.
3. Scroll down and tap Notifications.
4. Turn on notifications for calls, text messages, calendar events, emails, or apps, and look for the pairing message.
   1. These types of notifications require pairing with your phone so force your Fitbit to pair.

2. Enable ‘Always Connected’ 

There is an additional setting to check if you use Android and an older version of Fitbit’s operating system called Always Connected.

This setting in the Fitbit app improves the Bluetooth connection between your phone and your Fitbit device.

Note that turning on this feature may cause the battery on your Fitbit device to drain more quickly than usual.

1. Open the Fitbit app.
2. Choose your account icon or picture near the top right.
3. Tap on your Fitbit’s device name. 
4. Scroll down to the Always Connected setting and turn it on.
   
   1. If you don’t see it, you likely updated the Fitbit app and your Fitbit device to the newer versions that no longer offer this setting.

3. Enable All-Day Sync

All Day Sync is another feature available on older Fitbit app versions, so it’s an excellent place to check if you run an older version.

Turning this setting on in the Fitbit app prompts your Fitbit device to sync with the Fitbit app periodically.

On the downside, it slightly impacts the battery life of your Fitbit device. 

1. Open the Fitbit app, tap your account icon or picture at the top, and select your Fitbit device from the list of account options.
2. Scroll down the list of device settings.
3. Toggle on All-Day Sync.
   1. If you don’t see it, you likely updated the Fitbit app and your Fitbit device to the newer versions that no longer offer this setting.

Review your Fitbit’s settings

1. Reset sleep goal settings

If you set a daily sleep goal, this setting can sometimes interfere with getting a sleep score. So, you can reset it or remove it and see if your sleep score appears.

1. Open the Fitbit app > Today tab.
2. Tap the Sleep tile.
3. In the upper corner, select the settings gear icon.
   1. The settings gear icon is next to the + sign.
4. For iPhones, tap on the More Menu (3 dots icon) in the upper right corner.
   1. Choose to Remove sleep goal.
   2. We also suggest you repeat step 4 and remove your target bedtime and wake-up time.
5. For Android phones, tap Time Asleep Goal and choose to remove it.
   1. Repeat and remove your target bedtime and target wake-up time.
6. Verify you removed those sleep goals and targets by ensuring those metrics now say Set goal or Set Time.
7. Restart your Fitbit.
   1. Find instructions on how to restart your Fitbit by the model in this article.
8. Once your Fitbit restarts, we suggest sleeping one night without any goals to see if your sleep score shows up.
   1. If you get a sleep score, you can add your sleep goal and target sleep schedule.
   2. You do not need to set these to get a sleep score.

2. Don’t select ‘begin sleep now’ or ‘I’m awake’ prompts

To get a detailed reading of the sleep stages, do not select “begin sleep now” in the Fitbit app or tap “I’m awake” when you get up in the morning.

It sounds contradictory, but it often disengages your Fitbit from automatically tracking your sleep when you tap these prompts.

Consequently, your Fitbit cannot track your stages of sleep used to calculate your sleep score.

3. Delete or edit your sleep log 

Edit your sleep log for days with missing scores by manually re-entering your sleep & wake times. Another suggestion is to edit the current sleep log by adding or removing 1 minute from your wake-up time.

If your Fitbit is not showing your sleep scores for any day, try deleting your most recent sleep log(s) and see if you get a sleep score the following day.

Removing or changing this data often helps retrieve your missing data & sleep score.

1. Go to the Today tab in the Fitbit app and choose the sleep tile.
2. Scroll down and tap on a specific day’s sleep log to edit or delete it.
3. For iPhones, tap the three-dot More button next to the date.
   1. Select Edit Log, change your Sleep Start and Sleep End times, and press save to change the information.
   2. To remove the log, tap Delete Sleep Log.
4. For Android, tap the pencil icon to Edit your sleep log and the three-dot More button to Delete your sleep log.

4. Change sleep sensitivity settings

There is a sleep sensitivity setting in the Fitbit app. The default option is the normal setting. 

Try changing the sleep sensitivity setting from normal to sensitive or vice versa.

Change Fitbit’s sleep sensitivity settings on Apple (iOS) devices like iPhone and iPad

1. Go to the Today tab and tap your profile picture or icon in the Fitbit app.
2. Choose Activity & Wellness from the list of settings. 
3. Select Sleep.
4. Scroll down and tap Sleep Sensitivity to change this setting to your preference (normal or sensitive.)

For folks using older app versions, follow step 1, then tap Advanced Settings > Sleep Sensitivity.

Change Fitbit’s sleep sensitivity settings on Android devices

The Fitbit app for Android does not currently offer a way to change sleep sensitivity within the app, so you need to use your online dashboard to make this change.

1. Open a browser and go to your Fitbit account dashboard.
2. Tap the Settings Gear icon > Settings > your device image.
3. Under your Fitbit device’s name, choose Sleep Tracking and update your preference.

   

4. Sync your Fitbit using the app.

Fitbit’s normal vs. sensitive sleep setting explained

The normal setting only counts significant movements, such as rolling over.

The sensitive setting records nearly all your movements as time spent restless or awake.

If you wake up feeling tired when your Fitbit shows you got enough sleep, try changing to the sensitive setting.

5. Turn off receive sleep insights 

Fitbit’s Sleep Insights feature uses your Fitbit data, including your sleep log, exercise, calorie, heart rate, and other data, to expose behaviors impacting your sleep.  

Sleep insights also guide you in improving your sleep based on your personalized data.

Some users have reported turning off these features has fixed the problem of their sleep cores not showing. 

How to turn Fitbit’s sleep insights off

1. Open the Fitbit app and tap the Today tab. 
2. Tap the sleep tile.
3. Press the Settings gear at the top right.
4. Turn off Receive Sleep Insights.

6. Check heart rate settings

Your Fitbit combines heart rate and movement data to develop a more accurate picture of your sleep cycle.  So ensure your Fitbit’s heart rate sensor is enabled.

You can’t turn off heart-rate tracking for Fitbit Sense series and Versa 3+ users, so you can skip this tip.

If you think your issue is related to heart rate or sleep tracking, you can see our post Fitbit not tracking sleep? Let’s fix it for further fixes.

Check your Fitbit’s heart rate sensor status

1. Open the Settings app on your Fitbit device (not the app).
2. Scroll down to heart rate. 
   1. This setting is not available on the Sense series or Versa 3+.
3. Verify it’s on. If not, turn it on.

7. Try changing your Fitbit wrist position or setting

Try wearing your Fitbit on your non-dominant hand (or vice-versa.) Or wear it on the inside of your wrist (underside of the wrist) rather than the outside.

Pushing your watch or tracker further up the arm so it’s away from where your wrist bends also helps.

Wearing it on the inside of your wrist is especially useful when you have tattoos or a lot of arm hair (you could also shave your hair but wearing it on the inside is a lot easier!)

Regardless of the position of your Fitbit, make sure it fits snuggly and comfortably while sleeping. It shouldn’t be so loose that it moves around or too tight that you feel the band’s pressure. Find a fit that you notice the least.

How to change your Fitbit’s wrist dominance

1. Open the Fitbit app and tap on the Today tab.
2. Select your profile picture or icon.
3. Choose your Fitbit device name from the list.

Look for Wrist or Wrist Placement, tap it, and then change its setting.

The dominant setting makes your Fitbit less sensitive to movements since you use it more often.

Conversely, the non-dominant setting makes your Fitbit more sensitive to movements since you use it less often for everything, like eating or writing.

Frequently asked questions

What is a sleep score?

Your sleep score helps you understand your sleep each night to see trends in your sleep patterns.

This detailed look into your sleeping patterns can help you develop healthier sleep habits.

Factors such as caffeine, alcohol, stress, illness, or other actions can impact your sleeping heart rate.

A sleep score gives users an easy-to-understand summary of their sleep quality.

While sleep score is a good feature, it is not an FDA-approved diagnostic tool for diagnosing sleep disorders.

What is a good sleep score when using my Fitbit?

Most people get a score between 72 and 83. Sleep score ranges are:

• Excellent: 90-100
• Good: 80-89
• Fair: 60-79
• Poor: Less than 60

The higher your score, the more restorative your sleep.

How is the sleep score calculated?

Your overall nightly sleep score is based on your heart rate, time spent awake or restless, and sleep stages.

You must be able to see your heart rate and sleep stages to see your sleep score.

• 50% of the score comes from time asleep.  It is not based on the time you spend in bed. If you are awake in bed or wake up several times at night, your sleep score drops.  
• 25% of the score comes from deep and REM sleep time.  
• 25% of the score comes from how much time your heart rate is below your resting heart rate and how restless your sleep was. These combined factors are called Restoration. 

All this goes into an algorithm, and you get a sleep score. 

How do I improve my sleep score?

To get a higher score, you must have a longer total sleep time and more extensive REM sleep and deep sleep. 

Less tossing and turning while you are asleep and a lower sleeping heart rate than your daytime resting heart rate increases your score.

Where do I find the sleep score?

You find it in your Fitbit app’s Today tab, right under your step counter. You can also see your sleep score directly on your Fitbit watch by tapping the Today app and scrolling down to the Sleep category.

Wear your tracker when you go to bed, and the app generates a report soon after you wake up, usually a couple of minutes later.

How do I see my sleep score in the app?

1. Wear your Fitbit device to bed, and sync it in the morning.
2. Open the Fitbit app.
3. Tap the Today tab, then tap the sleep tile.
4. See your score on the sleep log.

How do I see my sleep score on my Fitbit device?

1. Wear your Fitbit device to bed, and sync it in the morning.
2. Swipe up from the clock face to see Fitbit Today.
3. Check your sleep tile to see your sleep score. 
   1. You may have to swipe up to find it (depending on the model).
   2. For older models, like the Fitbit Ionic or Fitbit Versa, you may need to tap Settings at the bottom of Fitbit Today and select the sleep tile.

Do I need Fitbit premium to see sleep scores?

No, you don’t need Premium to see sleep scores.

Users who pay for the Premium subscription program get more details about their sleep score, e.g., a detailed breakdown of restoration score, which looks at an additional metric: your sleeping resting heart rate.

Along with advanced details about your sleep score, Fitbit also compares your sleep to your peers.

Plus, you also get a report on any snoring and the noise of your sleeping environment–all using the built-in microphone on your Fitbit!

Your sleeping heart rate is generally lower than your daytime resting heart rate.

This Fitbit premium-only score helps you understand how restful your sleep was, determined by the differences between your sleeping heart rate and your daytime resting heart rate.

Fitbit Premium subscribers also get access to Fitbit’s Guided Programs for better sleep that outlines steps to help improve sleeping habits with a monthly sleep profile (for folks with Charge 5, Inspire 2+, Luxe, Sense series, and Versa 2+)

Each month, if you wear your Fitbit when sleeping for at least 14 days out of the month, you get a report that breakdowns your sleep with 10 monthly metrics, along with a sleep animal that reflects long-term trends in sleep behaviors.

These sleep profile metrics include:

1. Sleep schedule variability—how much your sleep schedule varies from day to day.
2. Sleep start time—on average, the time you usually go to sleep.
3. Time before sound sleep—on average, how long it usually took you to fall soundly asleep.
4. Sleep duration—on average, how long you usually sleep.
5. Deep sleep—on average, how much time you spend in deep sleep.
6. REM sleep—on average, how much time you spend in REM sleep.
7. Restorative sleep—on average, how much time you spend with your heart rate lower than your usual resting heart rate.
8. Sleep stability—on average, how often you were briefly awake or moving during your sleep period. As you change sleep stages or your sleeping position, your brain often wakes up for a moment; stability tracks how often this happens.
9. Nights with long awakenings—how often you experienced awakenings around 30 minutes or more.
10. Days with naps—how often your Fitbit device tracked naps.

Summary

We found that the best practice to get consistent sleep scores with Fitbit is to:

• Do NOT press begin sleep now, or I’m awake prompts.
• Turn on heart rate tracking.
• Sync with the Fitbit app before heading to bed.
• Wear your device on your non-dominant hand, perhaps on the inside of your arm, when you go to bed.
• Let Fitbit automatically track your sleep.
• Sync with the app in the morning after you get up–you hopefully see your sleep score!

Overall, Fitbit devices provide acceptable reliability for most people regarding tracking sleep. 

More importantly, Fitbits give you lots of sleep data and trends over time.

This data may help you adopt healthier sleep habits to help improve your overall health. 

Remember, Fitbit devices are not a substitute for standard clinical polysomnography to properly diagnose sleep complaints and disorders.

I hope that this article has helped you access your Fitbit sleep score.

If you have more questions or anything to add, please let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section below!

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