Trying out the S+ by ResMed, A New Sleep Tracking System

I used to be a fantastic sleeper, I would go to bed and fall asleep pretty much straight away. Then I had children and my quality of sleep took a nose dive. Since then I've had some good nights and some terrible but I always feel better when I've had a good night's sleep. The problem with that is how do you get a good night's sleep?

There are lots of devices out there at the moment that monitor your sleep and can give you information about how well you slept. Some you have to wear during the night, others are simply apps on your phone. Out of the ones I've tried none of them have helped me work out how to sleep better.

Enter the S+ by ResMed, a new device you don't have to wear, that features patent-protected SleepSensor technology. It monitors every stage of your sleep patterns and makes it possible for you to analyse and improve your sleep at home. 



Over the last few weeks I've been trying out the S+ and I've been keeping a sleep diary to help me work out if the device is working.



Saturday 12th March


Sleep Score: 76 - calibrating

The device is calibrating, trying to learn what my sleep is generally like so that it can offer advice at a later stage. 

I was suffering with bad indigestion and didn't feel like I slept well at all. I drank alcohol too and this may have contributed to my bad sleep.

I had 5 disruptions (woke up), had 7 hours and 9 minutes of total sleep, but I woke feeling tired.



Sunday 13th March


Sleep Score: 87 - calibrating

I used the Mind Clear option before going to sleep, it's like a notepad in which to write anything that is occupying your mind and keeping you from sleeping.

I think I was still tired after last night's bad night so slept better. I didn't get up in the night but I still woke up feeling tired. I'm not sure what to do to change that.

I had 8 disruptions, had 7 hours and 26 minutes sleep, I still woke feeling tired.

The app on the phone monitors what kind of sleep you're getting whether that's REM or DEEP sleep. Last night I had 95% of my REM sleep and just 74% of my DEEP sleep - could this be why I'm waking up still tired?



Monday 14th March


Sleep Score: 70

A bad night's sleep again, this indigestion is driving me mad. It's fine during the day but as the night draws in so does the indigestion, it's keeping me up. When I got up this morning I was SUPER tired!

I had 4 disruptions, had 5 hours and 23 minutes sleep, 62% REM and 71% DEEP.

The app is still calibrating, learning my sleep routines and logging them. I'm hoping it'll give me some good advice soon!



Tuesday 15th March


Sleep Score: 86

A better sleep score because I was wiped out, again. I slept a lot better but this is obviously a consequence of not sleeping well last night. I'm still waking feeling tired though, I could've easily gone back to bed and slept for more hours.

4 disruptions, 7 hours and 34 minutes sleep, 77% REM and 75% DEEP.



Wednesday 16th March


Sleep score: 72

Even though my score is lower I feel a lot better. This is the first night I've not had indigestion or been suffering the consequences of a bad night's sleep. I certainly woke feeling better and brighter.

7 disruptions, 6 hours and 4 minutes sleep, 70% REM and 79% DEEP.

The higher DEEP sleep percentage could be why I'm feeling better, is this why I'm so tired usually? Perhaps I need to work out how to get more DEEP sleep.

The S+ Mentor on the app has started offering advice, it says:

"You woke up 7 times last night. This is quite a lot. Here are some stimulus control instructions that may help. 1) Once in bed, if you are not asleep in twenty minutes, get out of bed. 2) Don't return to bed until you feel you can go to sleep. 3) Once in bed, repeat step. 4) Do not use bed for anything besides sleep and sex. 5) Wake up at the same time every week day. (You can sleep an extra hour on weekends). 6) Don't nap."

This is interesting because once I'm in bed I don't get up again, even if I can't sleep. I'll lay in bed wondering why on earth I can't sleep and refuse to get out of bed. Perhaps this is wrong and I need to rethink?


This is what the app looks like once it has logged your night's sleep.


Thursday 17th March


Sleep Score: 60

I had 2 alcoholic drinks and it took a while to get to sleep. Once I was asleep I felt like I slept (without breaks) until morning. When I woke up I did NOT want to get up, I was tired, achy, and didn't want to start the day.

According to the app I had a bad night's sleep and only had a short DEEP sleep. Today I agree with it's stats, I definitely could've done with more sleep.

6 disruptions, 5 hours and 19 minutes sleep, 61% REM and 57% DEEP.

What the S+ Mentor has to say:

"Your deep sleep was short last night at 0h 31m but the average for your age group is 1h 8m. One solution is to have a sauna or take a hot bath an hour and a half before bed. Heating your body and allowing it to cool naturally helps accelerate your circadian (24-hour cycle) sleep processes, and is one of the easiest ways of extending deep sleep."

I'll be lucky to get the time to have a hot bath an hour and a half before bed! 



Friday 18th March


Sleep Score: 78

A better night's sleep. Actually I woke before the alarm and was ready to wake. Glad it is Saturday because I don't have to get up straight away. I did drink alcohol last night but I think I slept okay. 

5 disruptions, 6 hours and 3 minutes sleep, 71% REM and 68% DEEP.

It seems like I disagree with the app today, I'm not exactly sure why that is.

S+ Mentor says:

"The well-known 'sleep on it' has scientific backing. Sleep helps you process memories and sharpen decision-making skills, enabling you to approach problems from different angles. If you're wrestling with a dilemma, try to set it aside before bed and go back to it in the morning. You may surprise yourself with a solution!"




Saturday 19th March 


Sleep Score: 90

I had alcohol again (it's the weekend!), and slept better. I woke up feeling good, I was relaxed and happy. This is the best I've felt on waking in a long time!

5 disruptions, 7 hours and 35 minutes sleep, 85% REM and 70% DEEP.

It seems the app agreed that I had a good night's sleep because there were no comments from S+ Mentor.





Sunday 20th March


Sleep Score: 74

The alarm woke me this morning and I didn't want to get up. It's Monday, so that could explain it, I'm just not ready for the week to start. On the plus side I did sleep well although I'm quite achy and tired.

6 disruptions, 5 hours and 41 minutes sleep, 70% REM and 82% DEEP.

The S+ Mentor has a couple of things to say today:

"Try to fit in some exercise today to lengthen your sleep time. Why not take a walk on your lunch break? A brisk stroll for six blocks might do the trick!"

"You slept for shorter than usual last night at 5h 41m. People your age normally sleep around 6h 32m. Do you know that exercise can make you sleep more soundly and for longer? It can also make you feel more awake during the day. Even walking six blocks at a brisk pace can increase the effectiveness of your sleep."

So S+ thinks I should get more exercise... yes, me too. Now where's that motivation?




As you can see over the week my sleep score ranged from 60 to 90 with varying REM and DEEP sleep. What I've learned is that I need to take a little more care of myself, perhaps even going back to exercising. 


Since keeping the diary I've used the S+ every night and it has given me lots of advice on how to get a better night's sleep. I haven't managed to beat that 90 sleep score but I have managed to get worse than 60, a particularly bad night in the middle of last week.  S+ Mentor's general advice is that I need more exercise to sleep better. 

The S+ has made me more aware of my sleep quality and what I can do to improve it. Before using it I tried out various apps on my phone but none of them offered advice or insight into why I might not be sleeping well.

The S+ sits on your bedside table facing the area your chest would be when laid on your bed. It has a bright green light that dims when you tell the app you're going to sleep so it doesn't disturb you.


I'd say the S+ is a useful tool to help you understand your sleep patterns better. The app allows you to jot down anything that is bothering you so that you can get it off your mind, it gives relevant information and advice, and allows you to track your sleep history. The S+ is not a diagnosis device and if you think you're suffering from a medical condition that affects your sleep you should seek medical attention. 

The S+ is available to buy for £129.95.


I was sent the S+ free of charge for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

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