Miya Pearson
Sleep trackers are a great way to understand your sleep patterns and improve your sleep quality. There are many free sleep-tracking apps available, and the paid options often provide a one-week free trial. These apps use input such as sound, heart rate, bedtime, and wake time to give you a snapshot of the duration and quality of your sleep. They can also provide additional insights, including heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) readings. Some apps allow you to export your data to share with your healthcare professional for follow-up.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cost | Many sleep-tracking apps are free or low-cost. Monthly fees for paid options generally range from $5 to $15. |
| Wearable Devices | Some sleep-tracking apps function better with data from wearable devices such as the Apple Watch, Oura Ring, or a fitness tracker. |
| Sleep Data | Apps can track sleep duration, sleep stages, sleep quality, sleep patterns, sleep trends, and sleep-wake stages. |
| Additional Features | Some apps offer additional features such as audio recordings, sleep sounds, bedtime reminders, personalized insights, and tips to improve sleep. |
| Medical Advice | Sleep apps should not be used as a replacement for medical advice or a clinical sleep study. |
What You'll Learn
Free sleep tracker apps with premium features
Sleep tracking apps can be a great way to understand your sleep patterns and improve your sleep quality. Many free or low-cost sleep-tracking apps are available, and some of the paid options also provide a one-week free trial. Here are some free sleep tracker apps with premium features that you can consider:
Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle is a popular sleep tracker app that offers a free version with basic sleep tracking features. The free option provides four alarm sounds and will keep track of your sleep. The premium version offers additional features such as more alarm sounds, detailed sleep analysis, sleep stories, and meditations. The premium subscription will be charged to your iTunes account, and it offers a one-week free trial.
Pillow
Pillow is another sleep tracker app that offers a range of features, including audio recordings, sleep trends, heart rate and oxygen saturation tracking, sleep sounds, a nap mode, bedtime reminders, and personalized insights. The app is free to use, but to access all the features, you need to subscribe to Pillow Premium, which costs $9.99 per month, $59.99 quarterly, or $39.99 annually. It also offers a one-week free trial.
Calm
Calm is a sleep app designed to help you relax and fall asleep. It offers a free version with limited content, including sleep sounds, meditations, and sleep stories. The premium version provides access to the full content library and additional features such as exclusive music and soundscapes. The premium membership costs $5 per month or $40 per year, and it also offers a one-week free trial.
Oura Ring
The Oura Ring is a wearable sleep tracker that you wear on your finger. It measures heart rate, movement, and temperature to identify your sleep stages. The app offers personalized tips and reminders to improve your sleep quality. While the app is free to download, you need a membership to access all the data and insights. The membership costs $5.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
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Wearables and devices for sleep tracking
Wearable sleep trackers are ideal for people who are curious about their sleep patterns and want guidance on how to improve their sleep. Sleep trackers typically log the time and duration of sleep, the sleep phases (such as REM or deep sleep), and how often you wake or move during the night. Many such devices double as fitness trackers or smartwatches and also track movement and activity, as well as other metrics, including heart rate, heart-rate variability (HRV), body temperature, blood-oxygen rate, and menstrual cycles.
The Oura Ring is a popular sleep-tracking device that you wear on your finger all day and night. It measures heart rate, movement, and temperature and identifies sleep stages based on the variability of these measurements. The Oura Ring is more expensive than other options, with the cheapest version costing around $300. However, it provides very accurate heart rate and HRV readings, with the latter being 98.4% accurate when compared to an electrocardiogram. The Oura Ring also has a Find My Ring feature, which can be useful if you tend to misplace it.
Another option is the Ultrahuman Ring Air, which has been praised for its accuracy and the valuable advice provided by its accompanying app. The ring has a medical-grade temperature sensor, a PPG (photoplethysmography) sensor, and a motion-sensing IMU (inertial measurement unit). It allows you to review your sleep stages in a chart broken down into awake, REM, light, and deep sleep, and provides additional charts for heart rate, heart rate variability, and temperature.
If you prefer a device that is not worn on the finger, the Apple Watch is another popular option for sleep tracking. The Apple Watch Series 3 and later offer sleep tracking using the built-in accelerometer. While the sleep-tracking feature has been found to be somewhat limited, it can be useful if you already own an Apple Watch. Additionally, there are Apple Watch-compatible apps, such as Pillow and Sleep Cycle, that offer more advanced sleep-tracking features, including sleep staging.
For those who want to avoid wearing a device to bed, there are alternative options such as the Withings sleep-tracking mat, which slips underneath your mattress. This device tracks your movements, breathing, and heart rate throughout the night and detects snoring or other sounds. The data is presented in the Withings Health Mate app, which provides a chart divided into awake, REM, light, and deep sleep sections. However, it is important to note that this mat may not be ideal if you share your bed with a partner or a pet, as it can pick up their movements instead of your own.
Lastly, if you are looking for a more comprehensive solution, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Cover and Hub is a mattress cover that regulates your temperature. While this option is on the expensive side, it provides automatic tracking and temperature regulation, helping you fall asleep faster and sleep better.
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Sleep tracking apps with smart alarms
Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle is a popular sleep tracking app that is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. It offers a simple interface where you set your wake-up time, and the app monitors your sleep. Sleep Cycle provides detailed sleep analysis, including sleep stage tracking and daily sleep graphs. It also has a variety of smart-alarm sounds and lulling sounds to help you wake up and go to bed more pleasantly. The app can detect sounds like snoring and coughing and offers features like sleep stories, meditations, and gentle wake-up tones.
SleepScore
SleepScore is another highly-regarded sleep tracking app available for iOS and Android. It allows you to set sleep goals and provides actionable advice to help you achieve them. SleepScore offers more detailed sleep-stage data than most other apps, and its smart alarm gradually wakes you up, making you feel less groggy. The app also integrates with the Apple Health app to exchange sleep analysis information.
Sleepwave
Sleepwave is a motion-sensing smart alarm and sleep tracking app that uses unique technology to sense your movements and wake you up at the optimal moment. You can set a 15-minute window, and the smart alarm will gently sound when you are in a lighter sleep phase. Sleepwave tracks your movement, breathing rate, onset time, and sleep depth to provide advanced insights into your sleep patterns.
Pillow
Pillow is a sleep tracking app that offers a range of features, including audio recordings, sleep trends, heart rate and oxygen saturation tracking, sleep sounds, a nap mode, and bedtime reminders. It provides personalized insights and tips to improve your sleep quality. Pillow is available with a free trial and various subscription options.
Oura Ring
The Oura Ring is a wearable device that you wear on your finger all day and night. It measures heart rate, movement, and temperature to identify the different stages of sleep. The ring provides additional insights, including heart rate variability readings, and its accuracy has been found to be very high. However, it is more expensive than some other options.
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Sleep tracking apps with audio features
Sleep tracking apps are a great way to understand your sleep patterns and improve your sleep quality. Many of these apps offer audio features such as sleep sounds, guided meditations, and audio recordings to help you fall asleep and wake up feeling rested. Here are some sleep tracking apps with audio features that you can consider:
SleepScore
SleepScore is a highly recommended sleep tracking app that uses sonar technology to track your sleep through your breath and body movements. It provides detailed sleep analysis reports, including easy-to-understand graphs, and offers additional features such as soothing sleep sounds and a smart alarm. SleepScore is available for free on iOS and Android devices, with in-app purchases available for premium features.
Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle is another popular sleep tracking app that uses sound analysis to track your sleep patterns and provide detailed insights. It can detect sounds like snoring and coughing and offers premium features such as relaxing sleep sounds. The app is available for iOS devices and offers a premium subscription with additional features.
BetterSleep
BetterSleep is a comprehensive sleep tracking app that includes a sleep tracker, a sleep recorder, and access to a variety of audio content. It offers over 300 sounds and music tracks, guided meditations, and narrated sleep stories to help you fall asleep. The app is free to download and offers in-app purchases for premium content.
Pillow
Pillow is a sleep tracking app available exclusively on Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. It can automatically detect and analyze sleep cycles using an Apple Watch or can be used manually by placing an iPhone or iPad near the user. Pillow provides detailed insights into sleep stages and records audio events like snoring, sleep apnea, and sleep talking. The app integrates with Apple Health and offers personalized sleep tips.
SleepWatch
SleepWatch by BodyMatter is a sleep tracking app that works with your Apple Watch to automatically track your sleep. It provides a sleep score and an in-depth analysis of your sleep, including length of sleep, sleep stages, and variations in heart rate. One of its notable features is the white noise composer, which allows you to create custom white noise mixes. SleepWatch also records sounds throughout the night, which can be played back later.
In addition to these apps, there are other free sleep tracking apps available, such as Sleepwave, Sleepzy, and SnoreLab, each offering unique features to enhance your sleep quality.
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Sleep tracking apps integrated with Apple Health
There are many free or low-cost sleep-tracking apps available, and the paid options often provide a one-week free trial. Monthly fees generally range from $5 to $15. While some sleep-tracking apps function better with a wearable device, you don't need one to use a sleep app. The most accurate sleep-tracking apps use data from your Apple Watch or another wearable device to include other metrics such as movement and heart rate.
Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle is a sleep-tracking app that can be downloaded on the App Store. It provides a detailed analysis of your sleep patterns and detects sounds like snoring and coughing. It also offers premium features such as relaxing sleep sounds and sleep stories. The app gives you a sleep score based on your sleep quality and allows you to set sleep goals. Sleep Cycle is fully integrated with Apple Health and can exchange sleep analysis data. It also has a customizable wake-up window and carefully selected alarm melodies.
Pillow
Pillow is a sleep app by NeyBox Digital Ltd. that can be used with an Apple Watch to track metrics like heart rate, respiration, and blood oxygen levels. The app provides an easy-to-understand sleep analysis, including a sleep cycle diagram and heart rate analysis. Pillow offers additional features such as audio recordings, sleep trends, oxygen saturation tracking, sleep sounds, a nap mode, and bedtime reminders.
SleepWatch
SleepWatch by BodyMatter is an Apple Watch app that seamlessly integrates with the watch and automatically collects data without the need to manually start sleep tracking. The app analyzes several metrics, including sleep duration, sleep stages, and heart rate, to provide an easy-to-understand snapshot of your sleep. SleepWatch gives a sleep score and provides an in-depth analysis to help you understand your sleep patterns.
Apple Watch Sleep Tracking
With an Apple Watch Series 3 or later, you can track your sleep directly using the built-in accelerometer. The Health app on your iPhone allows you to set sleep goals and create a customized sleep schedule. The Apple Watch can measure your respiratory rate and track the number of times you breathe per minute. However, it is important to note that the sleep-tracking feature on the Apple Watch may be limited compared to dedicated sleep-tracking apps.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, there are many free sleep tracker apps available. Some examples include SleepScore, Sleep Cycle, BetterSleep, Sleepzy, and ShutEye. These apps offer a range of features such as sleep tracking, insights into sleep cycles, and personalized tips to help you improve your sleep quality.
Free sleep tracker apps often provide insights into your sleep patterns, sleep stages, and sleep duration. They may also include features such as sleep sounds, bedtime reminders, and guided meditations to help you fall asleep. Some apps allow you to export your data to share with healthcare professionals. Additionally, some free apps offer in-app purchases to access premium content and features.
The accuracy of free sleep tracker apps can vary. While some apps use advanced sensors and algorithms to detect sleep disorders and provide detailed insights, others may not be as precise. It's important to note that sleep apps should be used as additional tools and not as a replacement for medical advice or a clinical sleep study. For more accurate results, you may consider using a wearable device in conjunction with the app, such as a smartwatch or a ring.
