---
title: "Actigraphy: Research-Grade Sleep Data from Garmin"
description: With Labfront, you can capture medical-grade sleep data using a $150 Garmin device– ideal for research in psychology, kinesiology, oncology, and more.
---

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# Actigraphy: Research-Grade Sleep Data from Garmin

## With Labfront, you can capture medical-grade sleep data using a $150 Garmin device– ideal for research in psychology, kinesiology, oncology, and more. We’ll show you how.

---

 

In this article:

- [What is actigraphy?](https://help.labfront.com/actigraphy-overview#actigraphy-explained)
- [Labfront and Garmin’s actigraphy solution explained](https://help.labfront.com/actigraphy-overview#labfront-garmin-actigraphy)
- [Uses of actigraphy](https://help.labfront.com/actigraphy-overview#uses-of-actigraphy)
- [Actigraphy vs ACC in Labfront](https://help.labfront.com/actigraphy-overview#actigraphy-vs-acc)
- [Getting started with actigraphy in Labfront](https://help.labfront.com/actigraphy-overview#getting-started)
- [Actigraphy data](https://help.labfront.com/actigraphy-overview#actigraphy-data)
- [Turning actigraphy data into meaningful sleep insights](https://help.labfront.com/actigraphy-overview#data-insights)
- [Labfront’s actigraphy packages](https://help.labfront.com/actigraphy-overview#actigraphy-packages)

---

### What is actigraphy?

Actigraphy is a non-invasive method used to monitor human rest/activity cycles. A device with an accelerometer is worn, usually on the wrist, to measure movement. 

It allows for continuous data collection over extended periods in a person's normal day-to-day living conditions, unlike more restrictive in-lab studies.

 

<iframe width="256" height="144.64" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X3MxQI9eVJ8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen title="Sleep 2.1 | Intro to Sleep Actigraphy" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none;"></iframe>

 

[Learn more about actigraphy→](https://www.labfront.com/collection/actigraphy)

 

 

---

 

What is Labfront's sleep actigraphy solution?

We’ve adapted the algorithms used in medical-grade actigraphs to work with the raw accelerometer data from Garmin wearables and achieved comparable results.

Instead of investing thousands in expensive traditional devices, you can now get similar, high-quality sleep data from an affordable Garmin smartwatch.

 

[Check out our series of actigraphy experiments →](https://labfront.com/collection/actigraphy)

 

<iframe width="256" height="144.64" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wXk5fXXDthg?start=1&amp;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen title="Medical-grade Sleep Tracking (Actigraphy) available from Garmin x Labfront" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none;"></iframe>

 

 

---

### Uses of actigraphy

Various health domains stand to benefit from accessible, high-quality sleep data. Here are just a few applications:

- ##### **🧠 Mental Health**: With more accessible sleep data, researchers can better understand sleep's impact on daily stress and cognitive function, potentially identifying new intervention strategies for mental health conditions.
- ##### 👟 **Athlete Recovery**: In sports science, easy access to sleep data means more comprehensive studies on rest's role in athlete performance and recovery, providing new insights that could shape training routines.
- ##### 👵 **Elderly Care**: For those studying aging, affordable actigraphy enables ongoing monitoring of sleep patterns in older adults, helping to detect or predict health conditions.

 

---

 

### Actigraphy vs ACC data: Which one is best for your study?

With Labfront you can capture actigraphy and accelerometer (ACC) data. While both measure movement, they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics.

Actigraphy primarily focuses on monitoring **sleep-wake patterns and circadian rhythms**. It is used to assess sleep quality, duration, and patterns over time. 

 

#### When to use actigraphy data

- For long-term monitoring of sleep-wake cycles, often used in studies related to circadian rhythm disorders.
- The main interest is in sleep duration and sleep quality over extended periods.

 

In contrast, ACC data is for detailed studies of **physical activity**, providing precise data on movement intensity, frequency, and duration, commonly used in sports science, physical activity research, and gait analysis. 

 

#### When to use ACC data

- When detailed information about the intensity, frequency, and duration of physical activity is required.
- For studies focusing on specific types of movements or postures, as they can accurately measure acceleration in multiple directions.
- In research that requires precise measurement of physical activity to understand its relationship with health outcomes.

Researchers should choose the appropriate data based on their specific study objectives: detailed movement analysis (accelerometer) vs. long-term sleep patterns (actigraphy).

 

---

### Using actigraphy in Labfront

 

##### **Note**

The actigraphy function is not available on older Garmin models, such as the vivosmart 4. You can view device compatibility[here.](https://airtable.com/appX3dmHZDcZCL5E3/shr7FqXL9I6jA3REi/tblRZKMryLtnnKm4x?backgroundColor=blue&viewControls=on) 

#### Setting up actigraphy in your project

Here's how you can start capturing actigraphy data in Labfront:

1. [Log in](https://app.labfront.com)to your Labfront account.
2. Add a Garmin device to your project.
   
   ![add-garmin](https://help.labfront.com/hs-fs/hubfs/add-garmin.png?width=655&height=425&name=add-garmin.png)
3. Activate the Labfront Companion data source.
   
   ![Frame 2751](https://help.labfront.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Help%20Center/Project%20Creation%20and%20Setup/Frame%202751.png?width=670&height=304&name=Frame%202751.png)
4. Configure your parameters for optimal data collection. With Labfront, you get two  modes in one solution:  
        - Movement energy / proportional-integrating mode (PIM)  
        - Movement threshold / zero-crossing mode (ZCM)
   
   ![actigraphy-settings](https://help.labfront.com/hs-fs/hubfs/actigraphy-settings.png?width=400&height=223&name=actigraphy-settings.png)
   
   <iframe height="144.64" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gQAY9zg3AO8?feature=oembed" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none;" width="256" allowfullscreen data-mce-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gQAY9zg3AO8?feature=oembed" data-mce-style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none;"></iframe>

##### **Note**

 With an [actigraphy package](https://help.labfront.com/actigraphy-overview#actigraphy-packages), we can offer assistance in setting up your parameters to best fit your study requirements. 

 

---

 

Actigraphy data

Here is a sample of what actigraphy data looks like in Labfront:

![actigraphy-data](https://help.labfront.com/hs-fs/hubfs/actigraphy-data.png?width=670&height=162&name=actigraphy-data.png)

 

 

---

 

### Turning actigraphy data into meaningful sleep insights

Dr. Ann, Labfront's Chief Medical/Science Officer goes through the step-by-step process of transforming raw acceleration data into meaningful sleep insights. He breaks down feature extraction methods, discusses common sleep classification algorithms, and examines how Labfront is automating actigraphy reporting for researchers.

 

<iframe width="256" height="144.64" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SGM6INxNItY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen title="Sleep 2.2 | Traditional Signal Processing: Sleep-Wake Classification" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: none;"></iframe>

 

 

---

### Actigraphy analytics packages

To further streamline your experience, we offer [actigraphy packages](https://www.labfront.com/analytics/report) developed by our expert analytics team, alumni of **Harvard's Center for Dynamical Biomarker**s.

These packages are designed to simplify your setup process and provide in-depth analysis, catering specifically to your study requirements.

 

If you're interested in our actigraphy analytics packages, please feel free to[get in touch with us](https://calendly.com/jmasys/labfront_intro_30min?back=1&month=2023-11) and we'll be happy to help you out!

 

 

 

---

### FAQ

#### Can I use any Garmin device to capture actigraphy data?

The actigraphy function is not available on older Garmin models, such as the vivosmart 4. You can view device compatibility[here.](https://airtable.com/appX3dmHZDcZCL5E3/shr7FqXL9I6jA3REi/tblRZKMryLtnnKm4x?backgroundColor=blue&viewControls=on)

 

#### How does Garmin and Labfront’s actigraphy data compare to other actigraphic devices?

Our actigraphy solution reaches 95% accuracy replicating leading medical devices that can cost thousands. 

 

[We encourage you to read the white paper in its entirety→](https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.03.23297889v1.full.pdf)

 

#### **If I don't have any experience with sleep data, how will I be able to understand it?**

We offer actigraphy packages developed by our expert analytics team, alumni of Harvard's Center for Dynamical Biomarkers. These packages provide in-depth reports to help you make sense of your data. Book a [consultation here](https://calendly.com/jmasys/labfront_intro_30min). 

 

We also recommend exploring our sleep science series, particularly [Part 2: Advanced Sleep Actigraphy.](https://www.labfront.com/course/sleep-2)

 

---

 

### Additional Resources

[Actigraphy Whitepaper - Garmin](https://www8.garmin.com/garminhealth/news/ActigraphyWhitepaper.pdf)

[Actigraphy Whitepaper - Labfront](https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.03.23297889v1)

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