I wore the Whoop band for a fortnight to help improve my sleep

I'm always interested in ways to improve my sleep, having tried a range of different things over the years. I slept on a sleep analysing mat, locked my phone in a time-locked safe, and slept beneath artificial stars all in pursuit of better sleep.

Lately, though, my routine has waned, and so has my sleep. A bunch of lifestyle factors are at play, but I figured a little more data couldn't hurt. So, I tried the Whoop 4.0 Band, having heard great things about the way it tracks personal data.

NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.

Whoop 4.0 Wearable Health, Fitness & Activity Tracker

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What is a Whoop band?

A Whoop Band is a wearable fitness tracker. It's the only one I've seen in recent years that doesn't have a screen, so it can't tell you the time or keep it for you. However, it's been lauded by many, including professional athletes, for the data it provides on sleep, performance, and strain.

Pros

• Design: The , coming with a metal wearable and a lightweight, knitted band that attaches easily.
• Calibration: The Whoop is quick to calibrate. It becomes more accurate over time as it gets to know your habits. In just under two weeks, I noticed the data was accurate.
• Wireless charging: You can using the battery pack, which slides onto the device. You just have to charge the pack individually, which takes a USB-C cord.
• Integration: The Whoop app seamlessly integrated with my Apple Health app, which is an app I haven't really used previously. It's good to know I have the data across both.
• Whoop Coach: While this aspect of the Whoop experience is still in its Beta stage, I've loved getting a summary of my key insights each day.

Cons

• Appearance: The is a very obvious fitness tracker. It's quite chunky compared with my permanent bracelet and not exactly stylish. However, there is a range of band colours available with varying hardware tones, so you can always change up the look as you like if you're happy to buy more bands.
• Consistency: The wants to have an accurate read on you, and it's designed to be worn 24/7. However, if I take a break from it, I'll immediately get a notification that I'm not wearing it.
• Time-telling: The This might seem like a random choice, but it's purposeful, and designed so there's nothing to distract you. Despite this, I spent the first two days looking at it expecting to see the time. You'd need to wear a watch on your other arm if you wear one regularly, which is a stylistic choice you need to ponder for yourself.

How to use it

I didn't know much about Whoop before receiving the device, so I was surprised to see it was screen-free when I opened the box. It was relatively easy to attach to the band, and I wore it on my wrist for the remainder of the day and overnight. The next morning, my exercise physiologist helpfully pointed out that I wasn't wearing it tight enough – it's supposed to sit flush with the skin so it can read your heart rate accurately.

Aside from setting up the wearable, you need to download the accompanying app and input a bit of data. From then on, it can give you insights into your sleep, your levels of strain, your stress levels and more, but the data gets more accurate and more helpful the longer you wear it.

The Whoop is waterproof, so you can wear it in the shower and while swimming, but I usually take mine off if I'm getting wet just to give myself a break.

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My overall thoughts on the Whoop's sleep analysis:

My sleep data honestly surprised me.

I could get nine hours' worth of sleep and still get a low sleep score, which was frustrating. Alternatively, on nights when I'd lie awake for an hour in the early morning, wide awake from stress, I'd get a great sleep score and a notification congratulating me on my sleep efforts.

Through the app and Whoop's analysis process, I learned that your sleep performance is the amount of sleep you get divided by how much sleep you need. It's also dependent on how much time you spend in each sleep stage. You have Slow Wave Sleep (SWS), REM sleep, which is the most mentally restorative, and Light Sleep, which is a transitional sleep stage. Optimal recovery takes place when you spend 40-50 per cent of your time in the restorative stages (SWS and REM). So, even if you're struggling to get that perfect eight hours, you may be well-rested enough to take on the day.

Also, the 'poor' sleep scores would usually correlate with activities we're constantly told will affect our sleep: high caffeine intake, alcohol, and excessive screen time. I was also able to see that an inconsistent bedtime led to poorer rest. This is honestly frustrating because we all have weekends where we go to bed and wake up later than during the week. However, like eating steamed broccoli, it's something unenjoyable that I should probably do more of.

On average, my time spent in SWS and REM is 42 per cent each night, which is pretty good! However, my understanding that 'time spent sleeping' doesn't always equal 'perfect rest' has changed my approach to sleep. Now, I focus more on consistent bedtimes and keeping my performance high. To help me stay on track, I've re-introduced reading before I go to sleep to help me switch off, and fall asleep to a breathing meditation, which were both recommendations from an article inside the Whoop app.

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Other things to know about the Whoop

How much does a Whoop cost per month?

The Whoop Band is actually a subscription service that includes the band, so there are a few different pricing options.

You can sign up for a 30-day free trial on the Whoop website, and cancel afterwards, but you have to return the Whoop band and the battery pack. If you choose to continue, these are your pricing options:

• $379 for a 12-month membership
• $634 for a 24-month membership
• $44 per month for a month-to-month membership
• Prices for a family membership start from $316

If you're confident you want to buy the device and stick with it, you can also get the band on Amazon, which comes with a 12-month membership pre-installed.

Does Whoop count steps?

The Whoop counts steps! It's a newer feature, but it has an accelerometer that calculates them, which has been validated for on-wrist use. It can detect specific patterns of motion and algorithmically identify steps from your raw data.

Depending on how long and how consistently you wear your Whoop Band, it can come up with daily, weekly, monthly and 6-month step count trends.

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