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Sleeping is a lot harder than it used to be.
There are countless distractions in this world. So many television shows to watch. So much content to meme. So many Chrissy Teigen tweets to read. So many Westworld theories to hypothesize. So many minutes to spend watching Drake strut down a dance line in curls.
There's a lot going on in the world right now, too, enough that sleeping can feel pretty much impossible sometimes. Luckily, the technology that surrounds and distracts us also gives us plentiful tools to help ease ourselves into the land of z's.
Here are a few apps that will hopefully help you finally get a good night's sleep.
Apps to improve sleep quality
Your daily night's rest is broken up into several sleep cycles. Research shows that repeatedly missing sleep or keeping an inconsistent sleep schedule can mess with your rest overall. These next few apps help you track your sleep cycles to make sure you're getting the best sleep you can, and waking up every morning refreshed.
1. Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle is is a nice twist on the standard alarm clock. Using your microphone, it tracks your sleep patterns and wakes you in the lightest phase of sleep so you're not groggy. You set a window during which to be woken (for example, between 7 and 7:30 a.m.), and it figures the best time to pull you out of your slumber. It even lets you tap your phone twice to snooze.
2. Apple Bedtime
If you want more control over your wake-up time, Apple's Bedtime, available as part of your Clock app, works similarly to Sleep Cycle, but lets you set an exact time for rising. You can select which days of the week you want your alarm to go off (weekdays only, weekends only, etc.). Choose how many hours you want to sleep, and the app will tell you when to head to bed to wake up on time. It will also give you a push notification before your bedtime.
3. Pillow
Pillow is the perfect app for those who want to know everything they can about the way they're sleeping. Like Bedtime and Sleep Cycle, it tracks your sleep and wakes you in a light stage of rest. But you can also use its features to time different kind of mid-day rests: power naps (15 minutes), recovery naps (45 minutes), and full cycle naps (120 minutes). It'll give you information about your heart rate, your REM cycles, and how long it took you to get to sleep.
Apps to help you fall asleep
Mindfulness and meditation has been proven to help people who struggle with insomnia. The apps below focus on meditation through various techniques, like music, nature sounds, and voice commands. All are aimed to help you hit the state of relaxation you need to go to bed.
1. Pzizz
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First: This app looks incredible; its appearance alone is calming! As for the music, think of an incredibly soothing, movie-style soundtrack that you set to fade out after an hour or so to help wind you down before you go to bed. It also offers narration in both male and female voices, but if you find that creepy (which you will), you can shut it off. It also lets you use its music in bursts as a 'focus' setting.
2. Headspace: Meditation
The Headspace: Meditation app sets you up with different sessions depending on your goals. It'll send you push notifications reminding you to meditate throughout the day. Each session only takes a few minutes. If you're the kind of person whose mind races before you hit the sack, this app is for you.
3. Calm
Like Headspace: Meditation, Calm will soothe your mind right before bed. The sessions are longer, and you can set up programs over time to ease you into zen. The app offers ambient sounds of nature and turns your phone into a giant portrait of a scenic landscape.
The first one I tried was 12 minutes long, and it did an incredible job at helping me calm down. I hadn't ever tried meditation before. Something about the mix of nature sounds and music really put me in a place of peace. Just make sure to also put your phone on silent; not too long after I finished my session I got a breaking news alert that broke my zen.
4. Podcasts
If all else fails, podcasts are always an option. Err on the side of comedy to end the day with a few laughs before sleeping (I highly recommend 'How Did This Get Made?') or something storytelling-based, like This American Life. Remember to use the sleep timer at the bottom of the app to make sure a long podcast doesn't wake you once you fall asleep.
This story was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2019.
How to set a bedtime
The first time you set a bedtime, the Clock app asks you a few questions:
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- Open the Clock app and tap the Bedtime tab.
- Tap Get Started and choose your settings.
- Tap Done.
After you set a bedtime, your iPhone reminds you when it's time to go to bed, and an alarm sounds when it's time to wake up.
Turn Bedtime on or off
- Open the Clock app and tap the Bedtime tab.
- Under Schedule, tap Bedtime or Wake Up.
- In the top-right corner, turn Bedtime Schedule on or off.
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This turns off both the bedtime reminder and the wake-up alarm.
Change the time and the days on which you get a reminder or alarm
- Open the Clock app and tap the Bedtime tab.
- Under Schedule, tap Bedtime or Wake Up.
- Drag the Bedtime button or the Alarm button . As you drag, your Bedtime reminder and Wake Up alarm automatically update.
- Under Days Of Week Active, tap the days that you want to get reminders or alarms. Days that are orange are active.
Track your sleep history
- Open the Clock app and tap the Bedtime tab.
- Scroll down to your Analysis, which shows your recent history.
If you use your iPhone when you're supposed to be in bed, you won't get credit for that time. Or, if you snooze the Wake alarm, the time that you stay in bed updates to match.
Data from Bedtime also automatically appears in the Health app.
How to change the settings
- Open the Clock app and tap the Bedtime tab.
- In the top-left corner, tap Options.
- Here's what you can change:
- Set when you're reminded to go to bed.
- Turn Track Time in Bed on or off. This gives you a better understanding of your sleep patterns by tracking when you use your iPhone during the night.
- Turn Do Not Disturb During Bedtime on or off. During bedtime, the Lock screen dims, calls and alerts that arrive when your device is locked are silent, and notifications go to your history.
- Choose a Wake Up Sound for your alarm.
- Change how loud the alarm is.
- Tap Done.
How to view your history in the Health app
To track your sleep analysis in iOS 13, open the Clock app, tap the Bedtime tab, then tap 'Show more in Health'. Your Sleep Analysis shows the amount of time that you spend in bed or asleep.
Bedtime in the Clock app tracks time that you spend in bed, but not how much you sleep or move. Your Apple Watch also doesn't track sleep or time in bed.
To track how much time you sleep, try using a sleep tracker with the Health app. You can also manually enter how much time you sleep: Open the Clock app, tap the Bedtime tab, then tap 'Show more in Health'. In the upper-right corner, tap Add Data. Learn more about the Health app.