5 Best Sleep Apps 2020 - Apps To Help You Sleep
We’ve all had days where we dream of planting our head firmly on that pillow the minute we walk through the door. But, for some of us, a long day turns into a longer night. Whether you start tossing and turning, you can’t shut off your brain or you’re simply staying up too late, sleep eludes you.
Trust me, it happens to the best of us. Well surprise, surprise– there’s an app for that. In fact, there are now countless apps out there that can help. Whether it be a light bit of reading before bed, meditation or sleep tracking, we’ve filtered through the lists to bring you our top 5 apps that should revitalize your mind and body to get you back on track. Let’s dive in.
- Last Updated: February 15, 2023
In This Article
Power Nap | Oak | Alarmy | Slumber | Sleep Cycle | Conclusion
5. Power Nap by Sleep Cycle
Power Nap by Sleep Cycle offers 3 options for napping. The shortest option, the power nap, let’s you sleep up to 20 minutes, waking you slightly earlier if it senses you are drifting into a deep sleep. The benefits of a power nap include improved memory and concentration!
Up next, the recovery nap! Meant to last up to 45 minutes, like the power nap, it detects your movements and will wake you before you reach a deep slumber. A nap of this length is meant to give you an energy boost and increase alertness, at least that’s what Sleep Cycle claims. But these claims seem to be well supported as the app has managed to grab everyone’s attention, including ours! On the iOS app store, it currently ranks in at number 35 in health and fitness.
“Can’t I just set a timer?”, I hear you ask. The genius of the app is it’s more than just an alarm clock, Sleep Cycle detects your body’s movements and wakes you up in the light sleep stage. No more groggy wake-up calls pulling you from a deep sleep, this is an app we have only dreamed of, but it’s available now, so give it a go!
COST: $1.99
PLATFORMS: Android & iOS
4. Oak
Oak is a simple but effective meditation app. While not strictly sleep-related, Oak still makes the list as it can put a silence to some of those nagging thoughts that could be keeping you up at night.
There are no lengthy signups or questions required to get started (like most meditation apps have) and best of all, it has a simple and uncluttered interface, just what you need when you want to unwind.
Meditation doesn’t just have to be at night, it can also keep you focused throughout the day. It’s easy and for those with a busy lifestyle, it can take a little as 5 minutes a day. With three options to choose from (Meditate, Breathe or Sleep) you should be able to shut off those thoughts and get back to what really matters, catching some zzz’s…
COST: Free (optional course $5.99)
PLATFORMS: iOS
3. Alarmy
Alarmy has a bit of a reputation as the most annoying alarm app EVER. While you may not be thanking us for finding this app, it aims to make disabling your morning alarm such a disturbance that you have no option but to get up and start your day. This is particularly useful for those that just love an extra 5 minutes, but those 5 minutes turn into another 5 minutes and so on, as you continue to press the snooze button.
Never again with this app, the alarm can only be turned off after you complete tasks like math problems or memory games. It’s even got the option of making you take a picture of something, say the bathroom sink before it disables; that’s sure to get the brain firing on all cylinders.
As an added (less stressful) bonus it has a list of sounds to fall asleep to, from light rain to coffee shop ambiance. It’s kind of an all-in-one package, just try not to break your phone when the alarm goes off tomorrow. Can’t say we didn’t warn you…
COST: Free ($4.99 /month for full access)
PLATFORMS: Android & iOS
2. Slumber
Slumber is simply a must for those that need some background noise to slowly drift off to. If the simplicity of a noise machine just isn’t enough, Slumber focuses heavily on stories to help lull you to sleep.
As the stories unfold (similar to a gentle meditation) you’ll hear a collection of ambient sounds. This can be somewhat customized with optional background sound effects such as falling rain, rustling leaves or a crackling fire. When the story is finished the ambient sounds continue to play out for a customized length of time.
The free version contains 8 stories in total but if you are enjoying the app you can pay to unlock the extras and craft your perfect dream state
COST: Free ($39.99 /year for full access)
PLATFORMS: iOS
1. Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle (the company behind the Power Nap app) has created another nifty little app simply called Sleep Cycle. This versatile alarm creates a wake-up window, rather than a specific wake-up time.
Designed to gently pull you from a deep sleep, the wake-up window can be set for 10mins to 45 mins. The result is that you are woken by the alarm gently and more naturally than being jolted awake.
But Sleep Cycle does much more than just another alarm app, this one tracks your sleep data while you snore away. You’ll be able to see things like when you were awake, asleep, or in a deep sleep. Sleep Cycle’s tracking will give you a general idea of your sleep quality and help you understand how to better improve your sleep throughout the night.
If that’s not enough, Sleep Cycle decided to take it one step further and can be integrated with your Philips Hue bulbs allowing you to wake you up with ambient light.
There’s a load of extras too such as tracking your morning mood, weather reporting, and even heart rate tracking. With all of this and more, you can’t go wrong, add it to your phone today!
COST: Free ($29.99 /year for additional extras)
PLATFORM: Android & iOS
Added Bonus - Sleep Talk Recorder
Who says sleep has to be all business? While we wholeheartedly want to help you discover better sleep we have to admit, we love a good laugh. While the Sleep Talk Recorder isn’t going to help you slay your sleep demons, in fact, it’s not likely to do much for your sleep at all but, we are pretty sure it will make you laugh, or maybe freak out. At least it did when we first found it!
You simply open the app, place your phone on your side table and drift off to sleep, the sleep recorder will do the rest. As you probably guessed by now it audio records you while you sleep. Ever wondered what crazy things you say mid-slumber? Well, now you can find out!
The app features a share section that allows you to listen to shared content, or share your own wacky mid-slumber talk. If that’s not for you, or you’d rather keep your nonsense sleep talk private, be sure to at least check out the share page to see what others have uploaded!
I never realized how much nonsense I came up with in the middle of the night! Either way, it is sure to bring a smile to your face or send you searching for an exorcist, you be the judge.
Getting a Good Night's Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep can be complicated. With so many elements affecting how we sleep it is no wonder 50-70 million Americans suffer from some level of sleep disorder. At ASL Reviews we strive to make your sleep experience better. From mattress reviews to our favorite pillows, we are here to help you discover exceptional sleep.
