The 5 best sleep apps

27 November 2019 | 1 Minute Read - Words By Joanne
Turn your phone into your greatest insomnia-tackling weapon with five apps designed to send you snoozing. Your phone is your friend when it comes to catching some shut-eye. Here are five of our favourite sleep apps… 1. Sleep Talk Recorder Have you ever woken up to be told you were...

Turn your phone into your greatest insomnia-tackling weapon with five apps designed to send you snoozing.

5 best sleep apps

Your phone is your friend when it comes to catching some shut-eye. Here are five of our favourite sleep apps…

1. Sleep Talk Recorder

Have you ever woken up to be told you were speaking in your sleep? Ever wondered what you were spouting while slumbering? Sleep Talk Recorder does exactly what it says on the tin and documents your mutterings for your amusement. The app saves your phone’s battery and storage by only recording at those times when you make noise. You can wake and ‘favourite’ your unusual outbursts and even share the best of the bunch.

2. Sleep Cycle: Smart Alarm Clock

Numerous studies show that waking up during a deep sleep phase can leave us feeling groggy and unrested. Sleep Cycle monitors your sleep to gently wake you while in a light sleep phase. Suggest a window of time and the app does the rest, even working with smart lights on the market to simulate a natural sunrise. The app also records the amount of time you spend snoring and could help users tackle sleep apnoea in its early phases.

3. Calm

The slick and popular Calm was voted Apple’s 2017 App of the Year and with good reason. It’s combination of sleep sounds, meditation teachings and breathing exercises are designed to help users relax. Soundtrack your sleep with playlists designed to soothe and send you snoozing and if that doesn’t help perhaps a podcast will. Voices as varied as Stephen Fry’s and Matthew McConaughey’s cover journeys through lavender fields and the mysteries of the universe.

4. Pillow Automatic Sleep Tracker

This app really comes to life when paired with a smart watch. Your ‘smart sleep assistant’ monitors your heart rate through the wearable to provide detailed analysis of your sleep. Reports detailing time spent in bed, time asleep, time taken to sleep offer detail that many other apps lack. Your light, deep and REM sleep are presented as a percentage so you can gain a fuller understanding of your slumber. Premium users can also enjoy personalised sleep recommendations.

5. Headspace

Headspace isn’t designed specifically for sleep, instead it focuses on meditations for all types of situations. The app aims to help you live a healthier, happier, more well-rested life and its developers are firm believers in a science-backed approach. In fact, a study shared on their website found 10 days of headspace reduced stress by 14%. The “sleepcasts” are the real draw for insomniacs, 45-50 minute long stories made to help you nod off.

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