Most Fitbit fitness trackers also track sleep, some automatically registering when you fall asleep.

But what about the vital exercise your body does at night?

Sleep is finally getting its moment in the tech spotlight, with Fitbit launching a new feature to remind grown-ups of their bedtimes, advanced technology that hides beneath the sheets and listens to you snore, and even eye masks that help you wake without an alarm clock.

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Sleep-monitoring technology has come a long way from its debut inside the very first Fitbit in 2008.

The basic Fitbit Tracker had to be clipped to a soft wristband and set into sleep mode to record how often you’d stirred during the night.

By contrast, most of the company’s current models, the Alta and Blaze, automatically detect when you’ve drifted off by assessing your movement and heart rate.

Most Fitbit fitness trackers also track sleep, some automatically registering when you’re under.Source:Supplied

But Fitbit is now committing more resources to the less-active parts of its purview, introducing a new feature called Sleep Schedule that was created in conjunction with a panel of sleep scientists from US universities.

One of those experts, University of Arizona Sleep and Health Research Program head Michael Grandner, says sleep quality can be overlooked as a measure of wellbeing but a regular bedtime has the potential to “improve your physical performance, mental health and cognitive functions”.

“If you’re constantly changing your sleep routine, it can have the same effect as giving yourself jet lag because you are continually changing your circadian rhythm, also known as your internal clock, which can negatively impact your health and wellness,” he says.

The Fitbit feature uses the wearer’s existing sleep patterns to suggest an appropriate bedtime, delivering a phone alert when it’s time to turn the TV off or put down your book at night.

After waking, the new feature delivers a graph of how close you came to achieving your sleep goal, as well as statistics like your sleep tally and the number of times you stirred.

Fitbit is no longer the only wearable tech with a sleep strategy, however.

The Misfit Beddit is a unique sleep-tracking gadget that lies under your sheets to track everything from your heart rate to respiration.Source:Supplied

Samsung’s new Gear Fit2 also tracks sleep automatically, delivering a report card on its duration and calories burnt, while Jawbone’s Up3 can graphically display how much time you spent in light, deep, and rapid eye movement sleep stages.

Not all sleep technology needs to be worn to bed, however.

Helsinki-based start-up Beddit has released a sensor-packed strip that lies beneath your bed sheet. It plugs into the wall, like an electric blanket, and measures your pulse, respiration rate, plus sleep duration and cycles from its position under your chest.

The $78 device transfers this information to an Apple or Android smartphone app for further scrutiny, and the results can be fascinating. It will even track whether you’ve snored, providing evidence from an unbiased source, and deliver sleep tips (although our “sleep enough” recommendation wasn’t particularly useful).

The next step is technology to actively help your sleep. The Neuroon Smart Sleep Mask, for example, currently available in the US, not only tracks sleep but wakes the wearer up with a light show to create an “artificial dawn”.