Rest assured: 5 apps for better sleep
Last updated: April 30, 2020
Sleep keeps your mind sharp, body healthy, and energy up. Yet all too often, it’s elusive — lost to restlessness, broken up through the night, and cut off abruptly. Find your way to a sounder slumber with the help of these apps.
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EveryoneWhy we love this
- 1Your sleep soundtrack: Choose from nature sounds, orchestral tunes, white noise, meditations, and more
- 2Mix sounds (and adjust the volume of each one separately) or listen to premade mixes like “medieval sea” and “camping by the beach”
- 3Lovely visuals – with sound options shown hanging on string like wind catchers – make it a pleasure to create your mix
Relax Melodies’ gorgeous sounds – from rain on the roof to a distant train – will soothe even the most wound-up listeners. The audio also includes subtle, brain-stimulating tones and beats. You can expand your options to include other sounds like brown and pink noise (think white noise, but at different frequencies) with Pro.
Why we love this
- 1This comprehensive sleep aid tracks and improves your sleep, from lights-out to wake-up time
- 2Monitor your sleep, no phone contact required: Ultrasonic waves detect your movement and breathing
- 3Set your alarm with a “smart period” to wake at the optimal time in your sleep cycle
Fall asleep to ambient “lullabies,” and Sleep as Android will track your slumber (daily with Premium; every second day for free), including when you’re in a state of deep sleep, light sleep, or REM. It’ll even record your sleep sounds and help you stop snoring. Snooze lovers can opt for “wake-up verification,” an exercise to complete to stop the alarm.
Why we love this
- 1Fall and stay asleep with “dreamscapes” – a mix of music, voiceover, and sound effects informed by the psychology of acoustics
- 2Dreamscapes remain effective over time by changing nightly, with over 100 billion possible sequences
- 3Customize your session length, and adjust the volume of music and voiceover separately
Settle into sleep, a nap, or even deep focus (a Pro feature) with dreamscapes – audio that combines elements of hypnosis, deep relaxation, and more. While you can enjoy “Classic Sleep” for free, you’ll need Pro to hear other dreamscapes (like “Snowfall” or “Waterland”) or choose a female voiceover.
Why we love this
- 1Calm your mind with meditation, and get ready for bedtime with the help of “Sleep Stories”
- 2Sleep Stories range from journeys in Antarctica and beyond to kids’ tales, including classics like “The Velveteen Rabbit”
- 3Find voice-free relaxation in the music section, which includes a list of tracks designed to help you sleep
While meditation is known to quiet the mind and aid relaxation, Calm brings extra attention to the pursuit of sleep. You’ll find a section of “Sleep” meditations, including a seven-day series on “tools for a sound sleep.” While you can start for free, you’ll need to pay to access most sessions and stories.
Why we love this
- 1Lull the little ones to sleep (and get yourself more shut-eye) with sounds curated especially for babies
- 2Choose from a range of classical music and ambient sounds like doppler ultrasound, conch shell, fan, and white noise
- 3Turn on the Baby Monitor feature, and music will automatically start playing if crying is detected
With ambient sounds of various frequencies (pink noise, brown noise, and more) plus environmental audio like “Mom’s heartbeat,” you’re bound to find something in here to help your child snooze. If the sound library isn’t enough, you can expand it by downloading the “Market” companion app.
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