Today, human performance company Whoop has launched two next-generation wearables designed to unlock a new medically-approved approach to personal health, longevity and sleep tracking.
The Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG are wrist straps with the same faceless design as previous models. They also operate on the same membership price system where, instead of paying an upfront cost for the strap, you pay an annual membership.
However, the brand have introduced three new membership tiers to make Whoop more accessible to different budgets, big and small, with memberships starting at $199/£169 per year.
Almost four years in the making, the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG are an upgrade on the Whoop 4.0 released in September 2021. The two newcomers pack more technology into a 7% smaller strap that's comfier to wear overnight.
Enhanced sensors capture data 26 times per second, while a redesigned processor delivers 10x more power efficiency. What this means is you get richer health insights, better battery life and greater comfort thanks to the sleeker design.
Understanding a good night's sleep is the foundation high performance, be that athletic or work focussed, Whoop has updated its sleep tracking functionality.
The reimagined Sleep Score delivers a more accurate reflection of sleep quality, so users can better understand how day and nighttime habits impact the quality of their rest. Therefore, they can make healthier choices and identify what they must do elevate their ZZZs.
New and improved sleep tracking
The Whoop is a serious recovery tracker for sleep buffs who want nitty gritty health metrics to help them optimize their rest. There's a reason it's endorsed by powerhouses like Christiano Ronaldo and Sha'Carri Richardson.
But what updates will help users level up their ZZZs? Both the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG are complete with an upgraded heart screener. But the Whoop MG comes exclusively with an FDA-cleared ECG that allows your heart reading to be taken anytime from your wrist.
With more accurate heart rate monitoring through the night, users can see the connection between heart activity and sleep quality.
Studies show a close association between sleep quality, heart rate variability and blood pressure. Tracking these metrics can improve sleep quality by providing insights into your autonomic nervous system's response to stress and overall health, allowing you to identify areas for improvement and make lifestyle changes to improve your sleep hygiene and quality.
The new models also promise more precise hormonal insights for women. The cycle tracking feature delivers insights on how hormonal shifts during menstruation, pregnancy, or perimenopause influence recovery, sleep, stress and performance.
Whoop blows other sleep trackers out the park when it comes to battery life. The Whoop 4.0 has a 4 to 5 day life and the Whoop 5.0 levels this up to an impressive 14-day battery life.
The wireless power pack also makes Whoop a great sleep tracker as you don't need to remove the wearable to charge overnight. (Do note, the wireless charger is not included in the Whoop One payment plan.)
How Whoop tracks your sleep
You can wear the device 24/7 to get a holistic view of your health, strain, recovery and sleep. As well as sleep analysis, Whoop provides guidance on optimizing your rest.
After getting out of bed in the morning, you'll soon receive a notification telling you Whoop has calibrated your sleep. There's also the option to fill in your ‘journal,’ where you can log things like caffeine or alcohol intake to monitor how these lifestyle choices affect your sleep.
Under the sleep section of the app, you can see in-depth information about your night’s sleep, including time in bed, sleep duration, sleep need, sleep efficiency disturbances and information about time spent in each essential sleep stage.
During testing, we wore the Whoop as well as sleeping on the Eight Sleep Pod 4, aka our best smart sleep-tracking bed of the year, and found the statistics from both sleep trackers closely aligned, suggesting accuracy.
Come evening, Whoop's Sleep Coach will suggest a bedtime based on when you need to wake up, and how you’re looking to perform the next day. It calculates how much sleep you really need based on the strain from the day, recent sleep patterns, sleep debt you’ve accrued and any recent naps you’ve taken.
There is also a haptic alarm function that wakes you up by the device vibrating for 30 seconds either at the time you set or when Whoop thinks your fully rested, depending on the setting you chose.
Like the best sunrise alarm clocks, this feature wakes you up gently rather than jolting you awake with a loud sound, which can cause sleep inertia.
You'll also find graphs in the app that plot your sleep patterns over weeks, months or years, so you can visually see how your recovery has improved with help from Whoop's sleep coach and your own sleep optimization methods.
What we'd like to see in the next update
We've tested a handful of sleep trackers including Garmin, Eight Sleep, Oura and Whoop, and each has its set of benefits and drawbacks.
In terms of sleep tracking accuracy, we think Whoop is very advanced and love how it captures a holistic view of your health by tracking sleep and recovery metrics alongside activity levels and general health stats.
"It calculates how much sleep you really need based on the strain from the day"
However, compared to other wrist-worn trackers, we find the Whoop slightly uncomfortable to sleep in.
We've tested the Whoop 4.0 with the SuperKnit band and this material isn't as breathable as silicone watch straps. Therefore, it feels quite claustrophobic through the night.
Although there are silicone straps available at Whoop, and Whoop Body clothing, which allow you to wear the tracker on different parts of the body, these come at an extra cost. The clothing range also only includes activewear and underwear, no nightwear.
Having the option to chose between strap materials when you order, or buy Whoop compatible pyjamas, would be a great addition in the next update.
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