[clewiston]

WakeMate uses a science called actigraphy to monitor your sleep patterns by measuring the movement of your body (via your wrist). Actigraphy has been used in sleep labs for decades and is a widely standardized metric of sleep in humans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actigraphy). The Sleep Cycle app, because it is not attached to your body, does not use actigraphy, and therefore cannot provide the same granular level of data measurement as a device using actigraphy, such as the WakeMate. Furthermore, Sleep Cycle is susceptible to false data collection since it can be easily influenced by the presence of others in the bed, such as a partner or pet.

[mike_h]

If you're willing to attach an iOS device to your body while you sleep (between two socks works great, or with an armband) you can try an actigraphy-accurate smart alarm with my app:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/circadian-alarm/id330721657?m...

It's a dollar in the store but email me at michael at programmablelife dot com and I'll give you a coupon so you don't have to pay.