Insomnia
10 Best Sleep Apps of 2012
To sleep, perchance to dream… it's the elusive quest that keeps insomniacs up night after night. According to the National Center for Sleep Disorders Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 30-40 percent of adults report having symptoms of insomnia each year, with 10-15 percent admitting to chronic insomnia. Those seeking relief from their sleep woes are progressively turning to apps; the following 10 are the most popular.
Please note: Healthline Networks does not endorse or warrant for fitness of purpose any of these applications. These apps have not been evaluated for medical accuracy by Healthline Networks and unless otherwise indicated, haven’t been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
Sleep Cycle alarm clock
iPhone - 4.5 stars with 35,120 ratings - $0.99
During sleep you go through different stages from light to deep sleep. The phase you're in when your alarm goes off deeply impacts how tired you feel when you awaken. Since you move differently during the different stages, Sleep Cycle uses the accelerometer in your phone to track your movement and determine which phase you're in and then finds the best time to wake you up during a 30-minute time frame that ends at your alarm time. Sleep Cycle also saves your sleep data and offers a detailed sleep graph and statistics, so you and your sleep specialist can get a better handle on your specific sleep issues.
Sleep
iPhone - 4.5 stars with 755 ratings - $0.99
Variety is the spice of all things in life, including sleep. That's certainly the secret to the fully-customizable Sleep app's success.
Just play any of the 100 provided relaxing sounds of nature — from rain to waves to wind chimes — or ambient music, or combine them all at different volume combinations. You can even mix your own music in with existing sounds. It's up to you. Add interactive pictures to enhance the experience. When you find a combination that works for you, save it for future, sleepless nights.
Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson
iPhone - 4 stars with 783 Ratings - $2.99
Android - 4.4 stars with 593 ratings - $2.99
Andrew Johnson is one of the foremost clinical hypnotists in the UK. If you can't make it across the pond for an in-person session, the Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson app brings his comforting words directly to your smartphone.
Let him take you through a relaxing, guided meditation, designed to aid you in your quest for a good night's rest. Part of the Andrew Johnson series of self-help apps, Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson will help you switch off the stress and discover an inner calm, conducive to better sleep.
Insomnia Cure - Sleep Now - with Max Kirsten
iPhone - 4 stars with 22 ratings - $2.99
The highly-rated Insomnia Cure - Sleep Now - with Max Kirsten app features three hours of audio content, including relaxation sleep sessions, along with a 40-page e-book and fact cards from acclaimed clinical hypnotherapist & NLP master practitioner, Max Kirsten.
Based on work with patients such as yourself, also suffering from sleep difficulties, Kirsten developed this unique, hypnotic relaxation sleep program, designed to help even those suffering from extreme stress, anxiety, or disruptive sleep patterns, achieve an effortless night's sleep.
Yoga for Insomnia
iPhone - 4.5 stars with 13 ratings - $2.99
You've tried everything else, from pills to counting sheep, yet you just can't seem to fall, much less stay, asleep. Yet there's another obvious, effective strategy that you may not have already considered. Yoga is a proven stress-reducer, so why not make it part of your better sleep plan?
The Yoga for Insomnia app offers a series of calming, even tranquilizing hatha yoga poses, emphasizing correct breathing methods, and designed to improve sleep patterns and sleep quality. With beginner or advanced sessions, all skill levels can benefit from this app, when performed twice a day.
Relax & Sleep Well
iPhone - 4 stars with 1805 ratings - Free
Android - 3.9 stars with 240 ratings - Free
Glenn Harrold is one of the UK's leading hypnotherapists and self-help audio authors with over 20 years experience and a long list of celebrity clients to boot. The Relax & Sleep Well app offers sleep-deprived folks a 27-minute hypnotherapy session, which places Harrold's soothing voice on a bed of subtle, 60 b.p.m. background sound effects, designed to relax you and help you sleep better.
The app also offers stereo-echoed, post-hypnotic affirmations and direct suggestions to facilitate deeper changes more quickly.
pzizz sleep
iPhone - 3.5 stars with 735 ratings - $5.99
When you're trying to fall asleep, a little soothing can go a long way. With fully-customizable pzizz sleep, you'll get words of encouragement from Neuro-linguistic programming master trainer Michael Breen, and that's just for starters.
Choose the duration — from 10-60 minutes — and pzizz sleep's structured, random algorithm will create a new, unique soundtrack every time you press "start." Whether you opt for inspiring words, mesmerizing music, soothing sound effects, binaural beats, or a combination of all of the above, you'll be lulled to sleep in no time. Just don't forget to set the alarm or you might miss that morning train.
Sleepmaker Rain Free
iPhone - 3 stars with 38,424 ratings - Free
Android - 4.1 stars with 267 ratings - Free
According to a recent University of Rochester study, rain doesn't help you get a good night's sleep. But the sound of rain and lack of sunlight do make you feel tired.
So on a gloomy rain-less day, play Sleepmaker Rain Free. With real rain recordings, professionally looped by a sound engineer and recorded in a top format, this award-winning app features 20 different rain tracks. With this app, you'll learn to see the silver lining in even the stormiest of weather.
Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep
Android - 4.4 with 2,698 ratings - 100K-500K installs in the last 30 days - Free
Do androids dream of electric sheep? They do when playing the Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep app.
Just select from a list of six distinct, high-quality natural sounds, such as ocean wave sounds, bird song sounds, and jungle sounds, along with beautiful wallpapers, and start your own personal audio therapy. For insomnia, water sounds come highly recommended, so don't be afraid of a little rain on your sleep parade.
Sleep Soundly Hypnosis
Android - 4.2 stars with 468 ratings - 50K–100K installs in the last 30 days - Free
You're getting sleeeeeeepy. According to a 1979 study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, hypnotherapy helped insomniacs fall asleep more quickly and for longer periods.
If you're looking for a drug-free sleep aid, why not try hypnosis? The Sleep Soundly Hypnosis app brings you a 39-minute session, which combines guided imagery and deep relaxation techniques to calm you and soothe you to sleep.
Use an App to Improve Your Sleep
Insomnia is a national epidemic and can have dire consequences for the insomniac as well as their partners and even total strangers. So what can you do to alleviate your insomnia?
Aside from contacting a sleep disorder specialist, National Sleep Foundation recommends establishing a regular sleep routine, moderate exercise a few hours before bedtime, and avoiding large meals, caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine close to bedtime. And, now you can use the 10 aforementioned apps to reap the benefits of an improved night's sleep.
Methodology
We selected these insomnia apps based on their potential to aid people with insomnia and their loved ones in a number of ways. Additional factors considered in selecting these apps included: user ratings, affordability, accessibility, format, functionality, and relevance to insomnia and its community's needs. Together, this collection represents the gamut of helpful iPhone and Android apps that are successfully designed to make life with insomnia more manageable.
