RISE analyzes your sleep history for patterns that reveal how much sleep you actually need. It looks at up to 365 nights of your data, identifying periods when you slept longer than usual after stretches of shorter sleep — a pattern called sleep rebound. These rebounds signal your true biological sleep need, not just how much you typically get. Most adults need between 7.5 and 9 hours, but your number is unique to you.
RISE also applies upper and lower limits based on peer-reviewed research, so your estimate won't be unrealistically high or low.
What data does RISE use to estimate my sleep need?
RISE uses five types of data to estimate your sleep need. Two are required, and three are optional but improve accuracy.
Required:
- Motion and activity data — collected through your phone's motion sensors to determine periods of rest and activity. This allows RISE to estimate your sleep even without a wearable.
- Step data — helps differentiate between active and inactive periods, improving estimates of when you fell asleep and woke up.
Optional (via Apple Health or Health Connect):
- Sleep data — pulled from apps or devices synced with Apple Health (iPhone) or Health Connect (Android), such as Apple Watch, Oura Ring, or WHOOP. Sleep data from a wearable helps RISE detect your sleep timing more accurately.
- Exercise minutes and workouts — provides context on physical exertion that may influence your fatigue and recovery.
- Time in daylight — offers additional context for periods of activity and inactivity.
Connecting a wearable or syncing additional data through Apple Health or Health Connect can improve the accuracy of your sleep need estimate.
Does my sleep need estimate change over time?
RISE may change your sleep need estimate as it collects more of your data. Your sleep need can adjust up or down based on what your data shows:
- Upward adjustment: Consistent rebound sleep — sleeping meaningfully longer when given the opportunity — suggests your sleep need may be higher than the current estimate.
- Downward adjustment: Consistently sleeping less than your current sleep need estimate without showing rebound sleep suggests your sleep need may be lower.
Your sleep need doesn't update on a fixed schedule. RISE only changes the estimate when your data shows a clear signal that the current number is inaccurate. If your tracked sleep is relatively consistent and doesn't show rebound patterns, RISE may keep your estimate unchanged — a stable number over several months doesn't indicate a problem.
Why does my sleep need seem so high?
Many people are surprised to see a sleep need of 8 hours or more. This doesn't necessarily mean the estimate is wrong — most adults genuinely need more sleep than they typically get. A few reasons the number may seem high:
- You've been undersleeping for a long time. If you're used to getting 6 or 7 hours, a sleep need of 8.5 hours can feel unrealistic — but that gap between what you get and what you need is exactly what sleep debt measures.
- RISE detected rebound sleep. If you regularly sleep longer on weekends or days off, RISE interprets that as a sign your body needs more sleep than you're getting during the week.
- The estimate is still calibrating. If you're relatively new to RISE, the estimate may shift as the app collects more of your sleep data.
Can I change my sleep need manually?
Yes. If your sleep need estimate doesn't feel right, you can adjust it:
- Tap the Profile icon in the top right.
- Tap My sleep need.
- Tap Adjust and use the + and - buttons to set your preferred sleep need.
- Save your changes before leaving the page.
Still need help?
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