How to Increase Your Garmin Sleep Score With One Simple Habit

If you wear a Garmin watch, you’ve probably checked it first thing in the morning.
That sleep score.
That recovery score.

Sometimes reassuring.
Sometimes frustrating, especially when you feel like you actually slept well.

The truth is, most people try to improve their sleep by adding more things: supplements, complex routines, new gadgets.
Yet one of the most powerful levers is already there. Quiet. Invisible.

The way you breathe at night.

The first real question to ask yourself

Before talking about data, metrics or Garmin algorithms, there’s a very simple question worth asking:

Do you sleep with your mouth closed, breathing through your nose all night long?

For most active people, the answer is no.
And that’s not a lack of discipline. It’s simply a habit shaped by stress, fatigue and modern lifestyles.

But this habit has a direct impact on what your watch measures while you sleep.

What Garmin is really measuring during sleep

When Garmin calculates your sleep or recovery score, it’s not just looking at how long you stayed in bed.
It’s assessing how well your body actually recovered.

Your nighttime heart rate.
Heart rate variability (HRV).
Breathing stability.
Your nervous system’s ability to downshift.

All of these are deeply connected to one thing: breathing.

Breathing and the nervous system: the missing link

Breathing is one of the only bodily functions that is both automatic and adaptable.
It constantly informs your nervous system about your internal state.

Slow, nasal breathing sends a clear signal:
there is no emergency.

The body can slow down.
Heart rate decreases.
The parasympathetic nervous system takes over.

That’s exactly the state your body needs to be in to recover properly at night.

Why mouth breathing disrupts recovery

Mouth breathing during sleep is extremely common, but rarely optimal.

Breathing tends to become faster, less stable and less regulated.
The body remains in a low-grade state of alert.

The result: even after several hours in bed, recovery is incomplete.
And Garmin picks up on it.

Lower HRV.
Higher nighttime heart rate.
Mediocre sleep scores.

Why nasal breathing changes everything

Nasal breathing isn’t about taking in more air.
It’s about using oxygen more efficiently.

It improves carbon dioxide tolerance, allowing oxygen to be released more effectively into tissues.
It stabilizes ventilation.
It lowers overall physiological stress.

Over time, the body becomes more efficient, calmer and more resilient, even at rest.

Exactly what recovery algorithms are designed to detect.

Why some people see their Garmin scores improve immediately

Some people notice an almost instant improvement in their sleep or recovery scores as soon as they breathe through their nose all night.

It’s not magic.
It’s physiology.

Fewer micro-awakenings.
More stable breathing.
A calmer nervous system.

Even on shorter nights, recovery quality can improve significantly.

Mouth tape as a tool, not a constraint

Sleeping with your mouth closed isn’t always easy at first.
Not because it’s unsafe, but because the body has forgotten the habit.

Mouth tape isn’t meant toforce anything.

It simply prevents an unconscious reflex from taking over during sleep.

With time, nasal breathing becomes natural again, even without assistance.
It’s a recalibration, not a dependency.

Performance, recovery and everyday life

Optimizing sleep isn’t reserved for elite athletes.
It’s a foundation for anyone who wants to do more without burning out.

Training.
Working.
Spending time with friends.
Traveling.
Repeating it all again the next day.

Recovery is what makes consistency possible.

And very often, it starts with a simple, almost invisible habit.

In summary

If you want to improve your Garmin sleep score, don’t look further first.
Start by looking at how you breathe at night.

Mouth closed.
Nasal breathing.
A calmer nervous system.

One simple habit.
A measurable impact.
Deeper recovery.

Make every breath count.
BREEV