For everyone unaware of what it is, insomnia is the most common sleep disorder amongst adults worldwide. It makes it extremely difficult for one to fall or stay asleep, regardless of how tired they are. It can lead to fatigue and hallucinations, so it is important to consult a doctor if you feel you have symptoms.
There are quite a few methods that can lull your mind to sleep when it is difficult to do so naturally. You can listen to soothing sounds, watch satisfying videos, educate yourself about your sleeping pattern, and practice meditation to stabilize your mood.
Certain apps out there are excellent at helping you battle insomnia with these tricks. Let's take a look at the best of them.
1. Sleep Cycle
One of the best apps on the App Store to help with sleep, Sleep Cycle has an App Store Editor's Choice award and a rating of 4.7 from over 300,000 users.
Sleep Cycle analyzes your sleep patterns and records your snoring, sleep talking, mumbling, coughing, or any other sound you make to help you better understand your sleep. This app will help you pinpoint significant problems in your sleep pattern, bringing you closer to a solution to your insomnia. As they say, knowledge is power.
It helps you wake up feeling well rested by using a gentle alarm clock that rings when you are in a light phase of sleep. You don't need to keep your phone next to your pillow or on your bed for it to work. Just turn on the app and place your iPhone on the nightstand; your microphone will do the rest.
You receive sleep statistics and sleep graphs; the option for a customizable wake-up window; an extensive Sleep Aid library, with sleep stories and melodies to help you relax; comparison data; a heart rate monitor; and many more spectacular features.
Download: Sleep Cycle (Free, subscription available)
2. Calm
This app claims to help you experience better sleep, lower your stress and anxiety, and create a relaxed state of mind. It is recommended by many reputable therapists, psychologists, and mental health experts.
Calm has a massive collection of sleep stories, guided meditations, breathing programs, stretching exercises, and relaxing music. There are three levels to the programs: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The programs range from 3 to 25 minutes long, and you can choose any that fits your mood.
The library of sleep stories has a great variety for children, as well as adults, and includes work from talented individuals such as Stephen Fry and Leona Lewis. You will find content on mindfulness, deep sleep, managing stress, breaking habits, happiness, self-esteem, and much more.
This app is a perfect addition to your daily meditation and will help you enormously to unwind and relax before going to bed to help overcome your insomnia.
Download: Calm (Free, subscription available)
3. Loona
Negative emotions accumulated throughout the day make it difficult for you to dissociate from them when getting ready for bed, often resulting in a case of insomnia. Loona will help you fix that.
The app is a little different from your everyday sleep-technique apps. It helps you alter your mood and stay calm throughout the day, preparing you emotionally for going to sleep at night. It does so by supporting your emotional states with playlists and immersive stories.
You will be given a recommended sleepscape every night. Don't know what that is? A sleepscape is a unique program that combines storytelling, activity-based relaxation, and sounds to create the perfect mood enhancer. Your sleepscapes can then be saved to the Apple Health app.
Download: Loona (Free, subscription available)
4. Aura
A "Best of Apple" award winning app, Aura is a sleep and meditation app designed to improve your wellbeing. It has been featured on multiple famous platforms such as Forbes, The New York Times, and The Oprah Magazine. The app has a cool, ethereal layout that is easy on the eyes and mind and will immediately put you at ease.
Aura focuses on making your experience as personalized as possible. While other apps have collections of generic stories and sleep tracks, Aura curates leading therapists, coaches, and storytellers to help with sleep and meditation to ease insomnia.
You begin by telling the app about yourself, your interests, and your needs. It then uses an algorithm to understand your personality and categorize it. You will be recommended specific life-coaching tips, hypnosis, and playlists. Aura claims that 98% of its users have successfully gained a restful sleep routine. Additionally, the app can also be integrated with Apple Health.
Download: Aura (Free, subscription available)
5. Sleep Sounds
Maybe you've had a long battle with insomnia and have learned that soothing sounds is your only solution. In that case, if you want a quick and easy app with an extensive collection of audio in the form of stories, melodies, tunes, and white noise to help you fall asleep, this one is for you.
You will find various noises like ocean waves and heavy rain, along with guided meditation from verified mindfulness experts. A collection of satisfying videos with calming background animation and music is also available. You can even find a series of courses to teach you more about your sleep.
The app sends out daily mindfulness reminders to help you remain calm throughout the day in order to prepare you for a restful night of sleep. The length of the videos and sounds have a great range. Some are as short as five minutes, while some last over an hour. You can choose the length that you prefer every day.
Download: Sleep Sounds ($1.99)
Get Restful Sleep With These iPhone Apps
The App Store offers a wide variety of apps that are beneficial for meditation and sleep, either of which can ease insomnia. Like listening to eccentric melodies or the sound of thunder before you go to sleep? These apps have got you covered. Hopefully you can use them to get a better night's sleep.