How Do I Stop Apple Watch Notifications at Night?

How to Track Sleep with Apple Watch Without Getting Notifications or Silencing Your iPhone

Sleep tracking is one of the most useful features of the Apple Watch. It helps you understand your sleep patterns, improve your rest, and maintain better overall health. But for many users – especially light sleepers or those who need their iPhone to stay active overnight – there’s a challenge: how to track sleep without being disturbed by notifications on the watch, and without putting the iPhone into sleep mode.

If you’ve ever been woken up by a buzz on your wrist or missed an important alert on your phone because of Sleep Focus, this guide is for you. Below, we’ll walk through a clear, step-by-step process to set up your Apple Watch for sleep tracking while keeping your iPhone available and alert.

Why This Setup Matters

For professionals who rely on their iPhone for late-night messages, alerts, or work-related updates, putting the phone into Sleep Focus isn’t always practical. At the same time, wearing an Apple Watch to bed can be disruptive if it continues to buzz with notifications throughout the night.

The goal is to create a setup where:

• Your Apple Watch tracks your sleep quietly.
• Notifications are silenced on the watch.
• Your iPhone remains active and can still receive alerts.

This setup gives you the best of both worlds: uninterrupted sleep and a responsive phone.

Step 1: Update Your Devices

Before you begin, make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone are running the latest versions of watchOS and iOS. This ensures compatibility and access to the latest features.

To check for updates:

• On iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
• On Apple Watch: Open the Watch app > General > Software Update.

Install any available updates before proceeding.

Step 2: Set Up Sleep Tracking on Apple Watch

Sleep tracking is managed through the Health app on your iPhone. Here’s how to get started:

1. Open the Health app.
2. Tap Browse at the bottom right.
3. Select Sleep.
4. Tap Get Started under Set Up Sleep.
5. Follow the prompts to:
   • Set your sleep goal (e.g., 7 hours).
   • Choose your bedtime and wake-up time.
   • Enable Sleep Tracking.
   • Turn on Sleep Focus.

This setup allows your Apple Watch to monitor your sleep duration and quality automatically.

Step 3: Customize Sleep Focus to Silence Only the Watch

By default, Sleep Focus syncs across all your Apple devices. That means if you enable it on your watch, it also activates on your iPhone – silencing notifications on both. To avoid this, you’ll need to disable the sync feature.

On Your iPhone:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Focus.
3. Select Sleep.
4. Scroll down and turn off Share Across Devices.

This stops Sleep Focus from affecting your iPhone when it’s enabled on your Apple Watch.

On Your Apple Watch:

1. Open Settings on the watch.
2. Tap Focus.
3. Select Sleep.
4. Make sure Sleep Focus is enabled here.

Now, your Apple Watch will enter Sleep Focus mode independently, silencing notifications on your wrist while your iPhone stays active.

Step 4: Fine-Tune Notification Settings (Optional)

If you want to reduce distractions on your iPhone without fully enabling Sleep Focus, you can manage notifications manually.

Use Scheduled Summary:

1. Go to Settings > Notifications > Scheduled Summary.
2. Enable it and choose which apps to include.
3. Set a schedule for when summaries are delivered.

This allows you to delay non-urgent notifications until morning.

Customize App Alerts:

1. Go to Settings > Notifications.
2. Select individual apps.
3. Adjust alert styles, sounds, and banners.

This gives you control over which apps can interrupt your night.

Step 5: Wear Your Apple Watch to Bed

To get accurate sleep data, wear your Apple Watch snugly but comfortably. Make sure it has enough battery – at least 30% – before bedtime. If needed, charge it for a short time before going to sleep.

Apple recommends wearing the watch on your non-dominant wrist for better comfort and accuracy.

Step 6: Review Your Sleep Data

Each morning, you can check your sleep results in the Health app or directly on your Apple Watch.

On iPhone:

• Open the Health app.
• Tap Browse > Sleep.
• View your sleep duration, consistency, and trends over time.

On Apple Watch:

• Open the Sleep app.
• See your most recent sleep session and weekly averages.

This data can help you identify patterns and make adjustments to improve your rest.

Step 7: Adjust as Needed

Everyone’s sleep habits and notification needs are different. You may want to:

• Change your bedtime schedule.
• Adjust which apps are allowed to notify you.
• Enable or disable Sleep Focus manually depending on the night.

The flexibility of this setup allows you to tailor it to your lifestyle without sacrificing sleep quality or phone accessibility.

A Smarter Way to Sleep and Stay Connected

Using your Apple Watch to track sleep doesn’t mean you have to silence your entire digital life. With a few thoughtful adjustments, you can enjoy the benefits of sleep tracking while keeping your iPhone available for what matters most.

This approach is especially useful for professionals who need to stay reachable or for anyone who prefers to keep their phone active overnight. By setting Sleep Focus to work only on your Apple Watch, you create a quiet, restful environment without missing important alerts on your phone.

If you’ve been looking for a way to use Apple Watch sleep tracking without notifications and still keep your iPhone responsive, this setup offers a reliable and simple solution.