I have made some headway in getting a better sleep and so improving my short term memory. i am interested in getting a sleep tracker. has anyone used one? i am interested in hearing both positive (as in accuracy, comfort, etc) and negative (so i know which ones to avoid) experiences.
I use the Garmin Vivofit. It is the oldest version of Garmin. It tracks steps, miles, calories and sleep. Syncing it with my computer makes it easy to track my sleep. The only problem is my sleep pattern. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.
I was getting good sleep tracking from my Pebble watch… I hear people like the Jawbone UP24 for that, too, and most of the Fitbits do a good job. MY sleep tends to be too short, but I am usually a fairly "efficient’ sleeper – I generally do not wake up tired after even a very short night’s sleep.
I’ve been using FitBit for a few years now. Using its sensitivity to movement, it keeps track of how long you are in bed, how long you sleep (no movement), how many times restless (slight movement) and how much time you are actually awake (more movement). The FitBit can communicate via BlueTooth with an app on my laptop via a supplied dongle. Here’s a screen shot of the companion app:
For a while I hoped that this device could be used to indicate the likelihood of sleep apnea. The reading I’ve done on sleep apnea does not recommend these devices for that purpose.
Terry, with a 5 month old child in my life, I have to admit I’m green with envy over your “Actual sleep time” entry. I suppose I’ll have to hold out for another 18-26 years before having that kind of sleep experience again 
On a different note, my sleep tracker app for iPhone does OK, but it actually picks up my dogs and son’s movements/restlessness as well. And the wife. So not sure how useful it really is. I have considered a fitbit, garmin, or apple watch sort of device, but man they’re spendy.
I’m retired and live alone except for my service dog. During my working career I used to get 6-8 hours sleep every night. That usually seemed like enough at the time but I really like my current “no-wake-up-alarm” sleep I’m getting now.
I use the FitBit Flex. I’ve seen prices as low as $70. I really like keeping track of my walking steps as that is my main exercise and keeping track helps motivate me. I walk about 100 miles/month.
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I also use the vivofit. Sleep tracker is pretty accurate. Shows deep sleep, light sleep and waking minutes and they are pretty close. I always eyeball a clock when I wake and get up in middle of night and sure enough the vivofit will recognize those times in the sleep graph next day.
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From reviews of fitness and sleep trackers a while back I remember that none were super accurate, as they’re all using imperfect proxies for sleep, such as movement. Then again, my husband once did a sleep study and said that the crazy equipment you have to wear for that is so uncomfortable he hardly slept at all. So I think there’s not much middle ground between “ball park, impressionistic data” and “horribly uncomfortable.”