People have waited years for a 'Garmin sleep band.' Will Garmin get it right?

A Garmin sleep band has been a common request on the Garmin forums and subreddit for years. Some hate wearing a bulky Garmin watch to bed, but don't want to miss out on Body Battery data. Others want the same Garmin fitness data without the watch form factor, preferring to wear luxury watches during the day.

It appears these Garmin fans will finally get their wish, as The5krunner (via Garmin Rumors) reports being "100% sure" that a Whoop-like Garmin armband will arrive by July or August 2025, based on a source, with some key details of what to expect from it.

Essentially, this "Garmin Sleep Band" — the name comes from a "source document" — will use LED indicators instead of a screen. Tap gestures will disable the silent vibration alarm or check the battery life. Like the Garmin Vivoactive 6, this Sleep Band would use an optical sensor to detect a light sleep stage within your alarm window before waking you.

The leak isn't comprehensive, as we don't know pricing, design, or whether it'll require a Connect Plus subscription like the Whoop Band does. But it would fit a new niche for Garmin, which has stuck to chest straps like the HRM 200 until now.

A basic backup or fully-fleshed device?

Garmin can take several paths with its Sleep Band, starting with one that sticks to its namesake and solely offers sleep tracking with an optical sensor. For people who hate wearing a watch to bed, that would solve the problem and (hopefully) keep the price low because of its specialization.

Ideally, the Garmin Sleep Band would have the newest Elevate v5 sensor found in the Fenix 8 and Forerunner 970, since that would deliver the most accurate HR and skin temperature data, along with standard Garmin overnight data like blood oxygen, heart rate variability (HRV), and the latest breathing variation metric.

Ideally, the Garmin Sleep Band would capture active ECG or passive heart rhythm data, as well. Whoop even offers blood pressure data on its new, expensive Whoop MG, but I don't think Garmin needs to target "medical-grade" accuracy for this device.

At the next level, the Garmin Sleep Band would support all-day health tracking, in order to properly measure things like Body Battery, daily readiness, and recovery. That seems like an obvious choice to substitute for a watch, even if you must check the Connect mobile app for the results.

But would this device automatically detect and track workouts like the Whoop Band? Most external Garmin sensors must pair with a watch, though the newest Garmin HRM 600 chest strap does standalone workouts.

Arm-based optical readings are generally more reliable than wrist-based ones. The Garmin Sleep Band could hypothetically boost your workout accuracy, with or without a watch. It might not match a chest strap's precision, but it would certainly be more comfortable.

That said, I doubt this Sleep Band would offer built-in GPS, an altimeter, or other Garmin watch perks. If it has an accelerometer and IP68 dust and water resistance, it can deliver the basics that people would want out of a fitness tracker.

Hoping Garmin doesn't mess this up

I'm intrigued by the idea of a Garmin Sleep Band. I love my $79 COROS HRM armband for its HR accuracy and lightweight comfort at just 19g or 0.67oz. I could see this new Garmin product fitting the niche of a smart ring at a more affordable price while staying hidden on your bicep, leaving your wrist and fingers for non-tech accessories.

However, the question is whether this Sleep Band is merely an accessory or a true competitor to the Whoop. A Whoop band is "free" but costs $200/year with the mandatory subscription. Garmin could easily undercut Whoop with a subscription-free rival band, but its priorities have changed recently.

Garmin watches are getting pricier than ever. In Garmin's latest earnings call, it talked about finding ways to counterbalance tariffs, such as increased prices. I'm concerned that Garmin might make it too pricey as a "backup" device or emulate Whoop with a mandatory Connect Plus fee, propping up their membership numbers and profits in one swoop.

At the moment, the Connect Plus paywall is only for optional features like AI summaries, offline trails, and advanced data charts. So I'm going to assume, until told otherwise, that Garmin will stick to its usual business model.

And in that case, the Garmin Sleep Band will make plenty of long-time users happy by letting them take off their Garmin watches without losing access to the data they rely on.