Evie Summers
Sleep apps are designed to help users meet their sleep goals, including getting enough sleep, getting to bed on time, and creating a pre-bedtime routine. These apps use inputs such as sound, heart rate, bedtime, and wake time to provide insights into sleep duration and quality. While sleep apps can help identify patterns and trends, they are not a replacement for medical advice or clinical sleep studies. Some popular sleep apps include SleepScore, Sleep Cycle, Calm, Sleep Reset, and Chorus Sleep, each offering various features such as sleep tracking, guided meditations, and personalized recommendations. It's important to note that personal sleep tracking is a developing field, and app accuracy varies.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To help users meet their sleep goals, including getting enough sleep, getting to bed on time, and creating a pre-bedtime routine |
| Functionality | Track sleep, set alarms, bedtime reminders, monitor sleep patterns, provide sleep analysis, identify sleep issues, provide sleep improvement advice, detect sleep apnea, etc. |
| Data Input | Sound, heart rate, movement, temperature, bedtime, wake time, etc. |
| Data Output | Sleep score, readiness score, sleep pattern charts, sleep history, personalized tips, etc. |
| Devices | Compatible with iOS, Android, Apple Watch, Fitbit, etc. |
| Pricing | Monthly or annual membership ranging from $5.99 to $69.99 per year |
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What You'll Learn
Tracking sleep patterns
Sleep tracking apps are a great way to gain an understanding of your sleep patterns. They can help you recognise patterns in your sleep habits and see how much rest you are getting. This can prompt you to make lifestyle changes to improve your sleep.
Sleep tracking apps can be used in conjunction with wearable devices, such as smartwatches, rings, or wristbands, or they can be used on their own. Wearable devices can monitor your heart rate, oxygen consumption, and movement throughout the night. They can then infer your sleep patterns from that data, including whether you are in light, deep, or REM sleep. Some apps can even detect sleep-wake stages (how often you wake up in the night) and sleep-related breathing disorders.
If you don't want to use a wearable device, some sleep tracking apps, such as Sleep.com, use sonar technology to track your sleep. The app sends sonar signals to sense your body movement and capture your breathing rate. The app's advanced algorithms then interpret these signals to track your nightly journey through the sleep stages.
Other apps, such as Sleep Cycle, use your phone's sound recorder to analyze sounds and track your sleep. It can detect breathing disruptions and ambient sounds that might be affecting your sleep, such as snoring.
Some apps, such as Oura, will learn your sleep patterns and give you personalized tips and reminders, like when to start winding down for bed to improve sleep quality. Many apps will also provide you with a "sleep score" each morning, letting you know how well you slept and recovered from the day before.
While sleep tracking apps can be a great way to understand your sleep patterns, it's important to remember that they are not medical devices. If you have any concerns about the quality of your sleep, it's a good idea to talk to a health practitioner.
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Setting bedtime reminders
IOS
The iOS Health app allows you to set up a sleep schedule and bedtime reminders. To get started, open the Health app and tap "Browse" at the bottom of the screen, then tap "Sleep". Set your sleep goal by tapping Edit under the sleep schedule and dragging the curved slider to set your desired bedtime and wake-up times. You can also adjust your alarm sound, volume, and haptics to your preference. The slider will turn orange if the schedule does not meet your sleep goal.
Android
Android phones have a Bedtime mode that can be accessed through the Clock app. Tap on "Bedtime" and set a bedtime and wake-up time, as well as the days you want to use your bedtime routine. You can also set a bedtime reminder, which will notify you before your alarm rings. Additionally, you can enable Bedtime mode to silence your phone and remove the screen's colour, helping to reduce distractions before bedtime.
It is important to note that the Digital Wellbeing app, available on both iOS and Android, is intended to provide information to help you find a balance with technology and is not meant to be used for medical purposes.
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Understanding sleep data
Sleep-tracking apps can help you understand your sleep patterns and habits. They use inputs such as sound, heart rate, bedtime, and wake time to give you an overview of the duration and quality of your sleep. This data can be useful in identifying any sleep issues and what lifestyle habits or underlying conditions might be causing them.
Sleep tracking devices can record when you fall asleep and when you wake up in the morning. They can also detect interrupted sleep, letting you know if you're tossing and turning during the night. Some tracking systems can track the phases of your sleep and time your alarm to go off during a period of lighter sleep.
Some apps provide detailed sleep-stage data, showing how long you spent in each stage of sleep: light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. They can also track your breathing rate, heart rate, and nightly wrist temperature. This data can give you greater insight into your overall health.
It's important to remember that no app can provide completely accurate sleep data. If you have any concerns about your sleep, it's best to talk to a health practitioner. Sleep-tracking apps can be a useful tool to gather additional information, but they should not be used as a replacement for medical advice or a clinical sleep study.
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Creating pre-bed routines
Creating a pre-bed routine is a great way to improve your sleep quality and duration. A good sleep routine can help you establish habits that tell your brain it's time to get ready for bed.
Firstly, decide on a bedtime and wake-up time that suits your schedule, and stick to it every day, even on weekends. This will help train your brain to naturally feel tired at bedtime. Next, schedule a time to begin your bedtime routine every night, anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours before bed.
Your bedtime routine can include a variety of activities such as turning off screens, meditating, reading a book, or adjusting your bedroom environment. For example, keeping the noise level low, the room dark, and the temperature cool can help create a relaxing atmosphere. You can also add white noise if it is too quiet or too noisy. Additionally, turning on your phone's red-light filter before your bedtime routine can help reduce disruption if you need to look at your phone.
Some sleep apps, like the Oura Ring, can help you establish a pre-bed routine by learning your sleep patterns and providing personalized tips and reminders, such as when to start winding down for bed. The Sleep Cycle app also helps you track and improve your sleep by using sound analysis to measure sleep duration, stages, and interruptions.
Remember, it's important to find a routine that works for you and creates habits that signal to your brain that it's time for bed.
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Using sleep apps with wearables
Sleep apps can be used with wearables to track your sleep and provide insights into your sleep patterns. Wearables can include smartwatches, smart rings, or devices that go under your mattress. These devices can track various metrics, including heart rate, skin temperature, movement, and sleep cycles, to give you a better understanding of your sleep habits.
One popular wearable sleep tracker is the Oura Ring, which offers both a ring and an app to track your sleep. The ring is lightweight and comfortable to wear while sleeping, and it provides a wealth of sleep data through the app. The app can give you personalized tips and reminders, such as when to start winding down for bed, based on your sleep patterns. However, a monthly membership is required to access all data and insights on the Oura app.
Another option is the Apple Watch, which can be used with apps like SleepWatch by BodyMatter. This app seamlessly integrates with the Apple Watch and automatically collects data on your sleep cycles, heart rate, and movement. It provides a sleep score and an in-depth analysis of your sleep, including the length of sleep and whether you were in light, deep, or disrupted sleep.
If you prefer a smart ring, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is another option that offers great sleep-tracking capabilities. The Garmin Venu 3S is also a good choice, especially for athletes, as it tracks many health metrics throughout the day and night.
For those who don't want to wear a device to bed, there are also options like the Withings Sleep Tracker Pad, which slides under your mattress for unobtrusive sleep tracking. It can track your sleep quality, heart rate, AFib detection, respiratory rate, and body temperature during sleep. The Withings app is user-friendly and provides a sleep diary with a sleep score for each night.
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Frequently asked questions
Sleep apps can help you understand patterns in your sleep habits. They use input such as sound, heart rate, bedtime, and wake time to give you a snapshot of the duration and quality of your sleep. This can help you make lifestyle changes to improve your sleep.
SleepScore is considered the best app for helping you improve your sleep. Other good sleep apps include Sleep Cycle, Sleep Reset, and Chorus Sleep.
Features that allow you to track your sleep patterns and sleep stages are important. Some apps provide a "'sleep score' that rates the quality of your sleep. Other useful features include guided meditation and breathing exercises, bedtime reminders, alarms, and personalized tips and reminders.
