USA *LAST* on the Garmin Sleep Score Table

Source: Garmin

According to Garmin’s aggregate sleep score data for 2024, there is some bad news for all Americans – you have the worst sleep scores in the world, as the table above shows.

Other interesting data from Garmin’s stats are for elite and high-volume athletes: those engaging in high training volumes tend to sleep better. Specifically, the top 1% of Garmin users—defined as those running over 95 miles or cycling more than 210 miles weekly—achieved an average sleep score of 74, compared to 72 among all users.

The Link Between Sleep Duration and Sleep Quality

It should be pointed out that Garmin’s Sleep Score is a ‘made up’ composite score. It’s still interesting, nevertheless. Another finding is that the relationship is not linear, while longer sleep durations generally correlate with higher sleep scores. The highest average sleep scores (78) were recorded by those sleeping between 8 and 8.5 hours per night, yet those sleeping between 7.5 and 11.5 all scored over 70.

Is there a takeout from this? A: Probably not. It doesn’t say the ideal sleep time for us to aim for.

However, it might not be unreasonable to assume that any of us working out a lot should benefit from more quality sleep – which Garmin’s sleep score might indicate. If we look at the last two complete years of garmin data, we do see that we Garmin owners are trying to do that. The average sleep score has gone up compared to the previous year.

Other Key Findings

• The average sleep score among Garmin users increased from 70 in 2023 to 72 in 2024.
• Elite athletes reported an average sleep score of 74, higher than the general user base.
• Three-quarters of Garmin users recorded fair or good sleep scores.
• Sleep duration alone does not necessarily indicate sleep quality.
• Users in Iceland and Finland reported the highest average sleep scores at 77.

Take Out

If you train hard during the day, your body responds and improves at night when you sleep…not when you exercise. It’s almost certainly a good idea to get quality sleep.

An interesting product that actively helps achieve quality sleep is the Eight Sleep POD4, which turns your current bed into a dual-sided smart-bed, giving each sleeper a personalised temperature throughout the night to optimise the time in each sleep stage –  as detected by the device. No need to wear a gadget or get into a cold bed on a winter’s evening – it’s pre-heated for you then and cooled in summer. The latest model also subtly moves snorers to reduce their snoring, further boosting YOUR sleep quality (and theirs). I have one…it’s good.

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