Want Better Sleep in 2024? We Put These 7 Sleep Apps to the Test (2024)

The Best Sleep Apps to Help You Get Some Shut-Eye in 2024

The Best Sleep Apps to Help You Get Some Shut-Eye in 2024

• Pricing: Starts at $299 for ring; $6 per month for premium membership (first month free)
• Operating System: iOS, Android
• App Store Rating: 4.5/5 (App Store), 3.9/5 (Google Play)

The Oura ring is a device you can wear on your finger all day and night. This ring measures heart rate, movement, and temperature and relies on the variability of these measurements to identify the stages of sleep. A recent study suggests the Oura ring is 96% accurate when all of the data points it collects are recorded and used in combination with its sleep-tracking algorithm, which is why we chose it as best for technology. We also found the Oura ring app incredibly helpful because it gives an easy-to-read chart of different sleep stages each night and an overall sleep and readiness score each morning, as well as highlights patterns and changes over time.

As one of the most advanced sleep trackers on this list, the Oura ring measures sleep habits via the small ring you wear on your finger. The Oura ring measures temperature, movement, and heart rate, which is more than the other apps on our list. The variability of these metrics is often higher during light sleep or while awake and lower during deep sleep, making the predictions of the amount of time spent in each sleep phase (non-rapid eye movement 1, 2, or 3 and rapid eye movement) more accurate.

We liked that the app uses our data to calculate a numeric “sleep score” and “readiness score” each morning, letting us know how well we slept and how well we recovered from the day before, which can help us set realistic goals for the day. We also liked that the ring is not intrusive or bulky like a watch or wristband, the battery lasts multiple days, and the ring charges in just a couple of hours. We also found it interesting to see the changes in our daily readiness score for the day, which helps us choose appropriate workouts based on the feedback and tips provided in the app (for example, if we got worse sleep one night, maybe we don’t go as hard at the gym that day).

The Oura ring requires a monthly membership to access all data and insights on the app.This membership gives you unlimited sleep history tracking, charts to visualize your sleep patterns, a readiness score, and more. We liked that after a couple of weeks, the Oura app learned our sleep patterns and gave us personalized tips and reminders, like when to start winding down for bed, to improve sleep quality.

Overall, if you’re looking for a comprehensive sleep tracker app and wearable device, Oura has all the features to fully understand your sleep and recovery patterns.

The Oura ring starts at $299. The app is free to download; membership costs $6 per month, with the first month free. You can use the app without the membership, but it is very limited in the data it provides, making the membership necessary to get the most out of the device.

• Pricing: $5 per month or $40 per year
• Operating System: iOS
• App Store Rating: 4.7/5

The SleepWatch app uses information including sound, the time you go to bed, and data from the Apple Watch, like heart rate and movement, to track your sleep cycles. We chose SleepWatch as the best Apple Watch app because it seamlessly integrates with the watch and automatically collects data, so there is no need to remember to press start before you go to sleep. We also liked that it analyzes several metrics to give you an easy-to-understand snapshot of how well you slept.

The Apple Watch is a popular wearable device that tracks many health metrics throughout the day and night. Among other physical tracking abilities, such as a heart and temperature sensor, it also has a high-g accelerometer and gyroscope inside the watch to measure movement—a common feature in sleep-tracking devices. But although the Apple watch has sleep-tracking capabilities, the sleep insights are less advanced than many other sleep trackers we have tested firsthand. This is where SleepWatch comes in.

SleepWatch by BodyMatter automatically tracks sleep from information collected by your Apple Watch. We found this to be the easiest app to use with this device, as it tracks everything it needs without us inputting additional data. Don’t have an Apple Watch? Don’t worry; you can also use the app without one. We also tested it without using the watch, and it was easy to start and stop sleep tracking and answer a few brief questions in the morning so it could compile our sleep report.

We liked that the app gives us a sleep score to measure how well we slept and provides an in-depth analysis based on length of sleep; whether we were in light, deep, or disrupted sleep; and variations in heart rate throughout the night. All we needed to do was wear our Apple Watch to bed, and the app did the rest. Although we anticipated it would take a few nights to get an accurate sleep score, the app worked well right off the bat.

One of our favorite aspects of the app was the white noise composer, as it allowed us to create a custom white noise mix based on our preferences. We found the number of insights it provided slightly overwhelming, so we mainly focused on the length and quality of our sleep. One of the features that caught our attention was that it records any sounds throughout the night with the ability to play them back in the morning. Some users may not like this, but we found it helpful to hear how much or how little we snored or talked at night. The most valuable information we saw: reports on three-day sleep debt (when you get less than the recommended number of hours a night), sleeping and waking times, and how close we were to reaching our nightly sleep goal.

There is also the option to track behaviors such as late-night eating or alcohol consumption to help identify if certain behaviors impact the quality of your sleep. This is helpful if you are trying to determine what disrupts your sleep. We did find it frustrating that the app doesn't necessarily tell you how to use the data to improve sleep and sometimes overloads you with information that isn't particularly relevant to changing behaviors, like how you compare with others similar to you.

SleepWatch is free to download and use. The premium membership is $5 per month or $40 per year, which gives you access to all the features on the app.

SleepWatch App Review

• Pricing: $15 per month (seven-day free trial) or $70 per year
• Operating System: iOS, Android
• App Store Rating: 4.8/5

We chose Calm as the best app for falling asleep because of its extensive library of sleep sounds, meditations, and sleep stories—all resources that put you in deep relaxation and help lull you to sleep. We liked that we could immediately access a limited amount of content with the free version and could sign up for a one-week trial of the premium membership to gain access to all the content and decide if it suited our needs.

Ever lay awake at night with a million thoughts running through your head, unable to fall asleep? I think we have all been there. According to the CDC, 14.5% of adults have trouble falling asleep, and factors such as poor habits, mental health disorders, physical illnesses and pain, medications, neurological problems, and specific sleep disorders can make it even harder. This is where sleep apps like Calm come in handy.

The Calm app is unlike other sleep apps in that it is not designed to track your sleep but rather to help you relax and fall asleep faster and decrease stress and anxiety, a common cause of sleep disturbances. A 2021 study found that using Calm at night helped users fall asleep, stay asleep, get restful sleep, and not wake up too early, largely due to its extensive collection of sleep stories, sounds and white noise, and sleep meditations.

We really enjoyed using the Calm app before bed to help us unwind and relax. We started with soundscapes—think rain hitting the window or water running through a stream—and those were great, but we were even more impressed with all the other options the app offers that make Calm unique. We particularly enjoyed the collection of celebrity playlists to help lull us to sleep. Who knew listening to one of your favorite actors talk could be so relaxing? We found it forced us to focus on something outside of our thoughts, which often put us to sleep well before the track was over.

Calm also offers various playlists if you like to listen to music before bed. We liked that the songs seamlessly blend and are soothing and slow in tempo. The sleep stories are also unique, often random stories read out loud. We particularly liked the story about “Mr. Calm” and never made it to the end without passing out. Lastly, the sleep meditations are similar to other apps, and we found them to be a great way to decrease stress before bed, especially after a busy work day.

Like any other self-care apps, you get out of Calm what you put into it. We found it works best when used every night and can seem expensive if you aren’t using it regularly. Since our primary goal with this app was getting help falling asleep, we did not mind that it lacked many of the features of other apps on the list, like sleep tracking and noise recordings. So, if you aren’t interested in sleep data, using Calm to help you fall asleep may be a great option.

After a one-week free trial, choose a membership plan of $15 per month, $70 per year, or $400 for a lifetime subscription.

Calm App Review

• Pricing: Free; Pillow Premium is $6.99 per month; Pillow Premium Legacy is $249.99; 1-week free trial
• Operating System: iOS
• App Store Rating: 4.4/5

We chose Pillow as the best app for extra features as it offers audio recordings, sleep trends, heart rate and oxygen saturation tracking, sleep sounds, a nap mode, and personalized insights and tips to improve your sleep. We liked the detailed reports it provided each morning, which gave us insight into far more than just what time we went to bed. We also enjoyed some extra features, like the bedtime reminder, which helped us get to bed earlier most nights. Like other apps mentioned on this list, it includes audio recordings, which we realize are helpful to understanding our quality of sleep but sometimes feel like an invasion of privacy.

When it comes to sleep hygiene, being aware of your sleep habits is the first step to positive change. Creating a healthy sleep environment, knowing what time you go to bed and wake up in the morning, and being aware of your heart rate and breathing throughout the night can provide valuable insights into improving your sleep. This can be difficult to track on your own, so sleep apps like Pillow, which use wearable technology like the Apple Watch, can be helpful.

Pillow, the sleep app by NeyBox Digital Ltd., can track various metrics while you sleep. This sleep tracker app is designed to work with an Apple Watch but can also be used in manual mode. We found it most useful while wearing the watch as it tracks additional metrics like heart rate, respiration, and blood oxygen levels. Low blood oxygen levels can indicate sleep apnea, so this is a good metric to track if you are trying to figure out why you are waking up tired.

One of the key features of the Pillow app is that it can enable audio recordings while you sleep, which can be helpful if you suspect that snoring or talking in your sleep is disrupting your sleep cycle. However, we found that this feature could be inaccurate, as it also picks up sounds from anyone else in the room.

We liked the easy-to-understand sleep analysis, which includes a sleep cycle diagram, heart rate analysis, and trends over time. The sleep tips that Pillow provided us did help bring awareness to the nights we stayed up way too late or had trouble falling asleep. This made us more aware of our caffeine intake and bedtime procrastination, and the bedtime prompts were a good reminder that instead of sneaking in an extra TV episode, we should probably go to bed. It also has a nap mode, which we didn’t get a chance to try, but we liked the idea that it wakes you up at the ideal time to end your nap so you don’t end up feeling more groggy.

One of the most significant drawbacks was that we had to start a sleep session each night manually and set an alarm to wake up in the morning. We found it challenging to remember to start the sleep session and didn’t enjoy having an alarm set for the weekends. We also ran into issues with our Apple Watch dying halfway through the night, which ended the sleep session early. Overall, Pillow has some fantastic features and offers helpful insights into sleep quality. However, having to wear an Apple Watch and start a sleep session every night might be cumbersome for some users.

Pillow does offer a free option with limited content, or you can get a Pillow Premium subscription for $6.99 per month. Pillow offers a one-week free trial.

Pillow App Review

• Pricing: $30 per year; 1-week free trial
• Operating System: iOS, Android
• App Store Rating: 4.7/5 (App Store), 4.4/5 (Google Play)

We chose Sleep Cycle as the most versatile app because it not only tracks sleep but also has an education library and quick, podcast-like recordings on various sleep-related topics. Sleep Cycle also has exercises for daytime relaxation to help prepare you for better sleep, which is something we had not considered before using the app. We also liked that it includes sleep sounds and stories to help lull us to sleep and uses sound recordings to track disturbances throughout the night.

Understanding the “why” behind the importance of restful sleep is key to improving sleep hygiene and habits. A good night’s sleep not only helps with growth and recovery but can assist in immunity and disease prevention, memory, attention, and emotional regulation as well as physical and mental well-being. Apps like Sleep Cycle help us track our sleep and provide education and helpful tips leading to better sleep long-term.

Sleep Cycle by Sleep Cycle AB gives you a simplified look at sleep patterns by analyzing audio recordings of snoring, talking, coughing, and other sounds. This app tracks your sleep cycle graphically and overlays audio recordings to help identify what is going on during different periods of sleep. It also has many educational resources available, and we particularly liked the short, digestible tips on various topics that impact sleep quality.

We spent some time exploring the guided meditations, sleep stories, breathwork exercises, and educational portals. The quick and informative audio recordings, videos, and articles were helpful and helped us better understand how and why improving sleep hygiene is essential. Scientists, doctors, and experts lead these tutorials, often offering valuable solutions to various sleep problems. We wouldn’t say this immediately changed our sleep habits, but it did bring more awareness to the parts of our daily routine that could use some work.

What we liked most about the app is that no equipment or fitness wearables are needed; you only need to have your phone beside your bed. Sleep Cycle must be turned on before going to bed, and since it uses sound analysis to identify sleep states, we did find that it picked up all the sounds in the room, which led to some errors. Starting and stopping the sleep timer manually can be problematic because it is hard to remember to do this every night.

Overall, Sleep Cycle seemed to do a great job tracking sounds and sleep data throughout the night and is a versatile choice if you are interested in the science behind better sleep.

A one-year Sleep Cycle premium subscription costs $30, with a one-week free trial.

Sleep Cycle App Review

• Pricing: Free, or $5 for the ad-free version
• Operating System: Android
• App Store Rating: 3.7/5

PrimeNap is a sleep app that’s specifically made to work on Android-powered mobile phones and has many of the same features as the other apps on our list, along with some added features like the dream journal that we found to be quite helpful. The best part is it’s free, or you can upgrade to the ad-free version for only $5.

As some of the apps on our list are limited to only Apple products, we were determined to find an app that offers all the same features and more for Android users. Apps that analyze the quantity and quality of your sleep, track sleep patterns over time, and set “smart” alarms can not only bring awareness to your sleep patterns but lead to lifestyle changes to improve your sleep—and that’s where PrimeNap comes in.

PrimeNap is a free sleep tracker that will track your sleep and provide you with useful data and charts that analyze your sleep length and quality, which may help you figure out why you can’t sleep. Although you can upgrade to the ad-free version, we found that wasn’t really necessary. Like other sleep apps, we liked that it tracks your sleep based on movement and sound and can be used for both nighttime sleep and mid-day naps. It also includes some additional features such as smart alarms, a dream journal, and sleep sounds to play while you rest. The smart alarms are designed to wake you up within a 30-minute window at the ideal time in your sleep cycle. Although we did try them, it was hard to tell how much of a difference it made.

When we first tried the app we found the interface somewhat confusing, with a dated look and graphics. It is not as sleek and straightforward as some of the other apps we tested. But once we learned how to navigate the app and access its features, we were pleasantly surprised by how much it offers as a free app. Using the dream journal was helpful, and it was interesting to look at the correlation between our dreams and quality of sleep.

We liked that it could be used in airplane mode and that it provided us with detailed data on how long we spent in different sleep cycles. We found it helpful that we could export data to share insights with others. One of the downsides we came across is that you must remember to start and stop tracking, which can be hard during naps or when falling asleep unintentionally. Overall, PrimeNap is a cost-effective app designed for Android only and has many of the same features as more expensive apps.

PrimeNap is a free app, but you can upgrade to the ad-free version for a one-time payment of $5.

PrimeNap App Review

• Pricing: $9, $19, or $29 for 7-day trial, then $297 for 8-week plan
• Operating System: iOS, Android
• App Store Rating: 4.8/5 App Store, 4.3/5 Google Play

In the past we’ve found it hard to implement sleep recommendations on our own or stick with a program over time. That is why we tried the Sleep Reset app, as it comes with your own 1:1 coach to help guide you through the program, provide personalized recommendations, and keep you accountable to the plan for the entire eight weeks.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an evidence-based approach to improving sleep. This type of therapy is often used by therapists and non-clinical sleep coaches to help rewire the brain and is considered the most effective non-medical intervention to treat insomnia. What used to only be available in clinics or outpatient therapy is now available in the comfort of your own home with options like the Sleep Reset app.

With CBT-I being the premise behind Sleep Reset, we thought it would be worth a try to help improve our insomnia. A 2015 systematic review and meta-analysis (an analysis of many other reviews) found that CBT-I is an effective treatment for adults who live with insomnia. Not only was effectiveness sustained over time, but there were no adverse effects of treatment, which sounded promising.

We got started with the app by completing a 10-minute sleep habit quiz. Once the quiz was done, we hit a subscription page where we could choose what to pay for a seven-day trial. After downloading the app, our sleep coach (a real person!) contacted us and explained that she was overseeing the plan and we could contact her at any time. This really sets Sleep Reset apart from other apps because it’s always easier to stick with a program when you know someone is there to keep you accountable. Shortly after, we received a detailed assessment based on the sleep habit quiz with a few initial recommendations to help improve sleep.

We liked that each day, our coach expected us to complete a check-in form detailing the quality and length of sleep from the night before and complete two or three lessons designed to educate us on sleep science principles. The lessons include topics such as sleep anxiety, circadian rhythm, and the bed-sleep connection. We enjoyed reading through these as they made sleep concepts easy to comprehend.

As we worked through the eight-week program, our coach provided different strategies to improve sleep, all related to the CBT-I principles. The personal coaching was invaluable as we could see this being challenging if we tried to do it independently. Although the plan is slightly intense, the app made it easy to complete the check-ins, message our coach, and stay motivated throughout the eight weeks. If you cannot go to an in-person clinic, this is a great way to take advantage of CBT-I treatment at home. However, it’s important to note that because you are working with a sleep coach and not a licensed therapist, this should not replace medical advice; rather, it should be a supplement to treatment or a first step to finding a treatment that works for you.

Start with a pay-what-you-can seven-day trial (choose from $9, $19, or $29), then pay $297 for the full eight-week plan.

Sleep Reset Review

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