From guided meditation to customizable mixes, you'll be fast asleep in no time.
Can't Sleep? Here are the best apps to download.
We've all heard that avoiding your cell phone right before bed is the best way to ensure a good night's sleep, but when used properly, tech may be the key to helping you actually clock those blissful Zs. The best sleep apps out there can help ease your lingering stress and anxiety so that you can finally rest and wake up feeling refreshed.
According to the CDC, adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night to start the day feeling energized—and yet only 54% of Americans over the age of 18 were getting the minimum amount of hours recommended for rest, a recent survey found. Sleep deficiency has been linked to several health conditions including diabetes, heart disease, and depression.
Luckily, apps addressing a wide range of sleep issues can be accessed at your fingertips, from Headspace, which offers guided meditation programs, to Tide's gallery of soothing nature-inspired background noise which will help you drift off into a deep sleep. Dreamland, here you come.
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1. Headspace
Rating: 4.9
Still having trouble adjusting to life during a pandemic? Relationships feeling strained from stress? Perhaps one of the better known apps, Headspace has a series of guided meditation programs specifically designed to help you get to the root of what's making your toss and turn all night so you can finally get the sleep you deserve.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
2. Calm
Rating: 4.8
AdvertisementAnother popular mindfulness app, Calm has a roster of sleep stories crafted specifically for adults tucked in and ready to drift off. If Matthew McConaughey occupies way too many of your late-night fantasies, and the thought of him waxing poetic about the grandeur of the universe sounds like a dream come true, this is the app for you. Or if you had no desire to paint but always enjoyed listening to Bob Ross fill his canvas with luscious trees gentle brush strokes, there's a story for that as well.
Link to download
3. Awoken
Rating: 4.4
If you've ever wanted to try your hand at lucid dreaming—basically being able to control your dreams—give Awoken a try. The app comes equipped with a dream journal to jot down exactly how you stopped a wave from crashing over you, customizable reminders to help you sort out when you're actually dreaming, and audio cues you can design to actually trigger these fascinating dreams.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
4. White Noise Light
Rating: 4.7
Here's an app for those who feel instantly relaxed at the sound of clothes tumbling around in the dryer or the air conditioning unit rambling on in the late summer heat. White Noise Light comes equipped with over 40 prerecorded sounds along with the ability to record your own favorite audio to play back when it's time for bed.
AdvertisementPrice: Free
Link to download
5. Moshi: Sleep and Mindfulness
Rating: 4.7
If you're lack of sleep is due to restless kids having a hard time falling asleep, give Moshi a try. The app comes with a wide selection of audio and guided meditation, such as deep breathing, with little ones in mind. Bonus perk: You might find yourself snoozing along as well.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
6. Sleep Cycle - Sleep Tracker
Rating: 4.6
Raise your hand if the number of alarms you've set has doubled since March. If you're looking for a way to take back control of your sleep schedule—which directly affects the quality of sleep you'll get—Sleep Cycle's tracker is definitely worth a try. The app is built with a smart alarm clock that will gradually lift you out of slumberland along with a record that tracks your sleeping pattern and what factors, like the weather, are impacting it.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
7. Breethe: Meditation & Sleep
Rating: 4.7
AdvertisementJust breathe. Taking a series of deep breaths helps clear your mind and ease tension throughout the body—the perfect remedy for getting some shut-eye. Breethe has plenty of exercises involving breath work along with music playlists based on your mood and visualizations that will help you get in the bedtime mindset.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
8. Endel: Focus, Sleep, Relax
Rating: 4.5
Think of Endel as a lifestyle. It's built to ease stress and anxiety during the day and help you reduce major distractors so that you can focus and be physically equipped to relax into a peaceful sleep at night. With in-app activities geared toward enhancing concentration so you can knock out the projects on your to-do lists, deadline-fueled insomnia will be a thing of the past.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
9. Insight Timer - Meditation App
Rating: 4.9
What's better than building a sound body and mind? Doing it with your loved ones! Insight Timer is special in that it allows you to access live guided meditation sessions and recommend soothing content to family and friends through its chat feature. Think of it as a really calming party—instead of loud music and drinks, there's deep breaths and gentle melodies.
AdvertisementPrice: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
10. Relax Meditation: Guided Mind
Rating: 4.7
Sometimes the prerecorded audio is just not cutting it. This app allows you to mix multiple melodies until you achieve the perfect nighttime lullaby, built exclusively for you. Learn what you like and what you don't to get your sleep on.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
11. Tide
Rating: 5.0
Reflecting on what led to those good-sleep nights can be the key to unlocking them indefinitely. Tide includes a built-in diary so you can jot down all the factors that led to hours of deep rest along with sleep analysis to pick up on any patters you might have missed.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
12. Pillow Automatic Sleep Tracker
Rating: 4.3
AdvertisementPillow is perfect for Apple Watch users. The app was built to pair with your smart watch so you can automatically track your sleep and heart rate without having to think about it as you're getting ready for bed. It can also record any sounds that might take place while you're snoozing, which can help you decipher the sounds that serve as possible aids or disruptors in your quality of sleep.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
13. Rise: Sleep & Energy Tracker
Rating: 4.6
While solid sleep feels like a luxury, it shouldn't be—everyone should have access to a good night of rest. Rise was created to address the disparity in sleep quality and comes equipped with several useful tools like an energy tracker.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
14. Oura
Rating: 4.7
Curious about your sleep patterns throughout all of the sleep stages? Oura helps you pinpoint exactly when you hit that coveted REM cycle and when your body naturally starts to awaken so you can set up the sleep schedule that will work best for you.
Price: Free
Link to download
15. Sleepa
Ratings: 4.5
Running low on data but need some white noise to keep insomnia at bay? This app, which has a diverse catalog of audio pulled from the city and the great outdoors, doesn't require internet connection so you can listen for as long as you need until you're sound asleep.
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
Link to download
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Michella Oré
