In the middle of 2022, Fitbit rolled out a new feature for its suite of sleep tracking tools included with Fitbit Premium. Known as Sleep Profile, this program monitors your sleep over an entire month. It then analyzes that data to produce what it calls a sleep phenotype — one of six types of sleep habits. Fitbit playfully represents the six phenotypes as animals: the Bear, Dolphin, Giraffe, Hedgehog, Parrot, and Tortoise. Each month, the Fitbit app assigns you one of these animals and explains how your sleep habits led to that selection.
When it rolled out, it appeared to be a fun addition to an already industry-leading suite of consumer sleep analysis tools. In fact, many Fitbit users may have written it off as being a bit of fluff. However, not only is it a useful tool for monitoring your sleep habits but it’s also a huge leap forward for sleep research in general.