Sleep apps
If you’ve experienced the frustration of tossing and turning throughout the night, watching the clock tick away and hearing the birds begin to chirp, you’re not alone. Struggling to fall asleep is an experience shared by many students… and fair enough, university isn’t easy! Whether it’s due to anxious thoughts, an irregular sleep cycle, a distracting environment, or an underlying sleep condition, getting those 8 hours can be easier said than done.
The good news? Many mobile apps and resources are available to assist you in relaxing, unwinding, and improving your sleep quality. These apps offer features like breathing exercises, pre-sleep meditation (sometimes called 'bed'itation'), and bedtime stories (yes, they are for adults too!) Additionally, some apps help you track your sleep patterns and refine your bedtime routine. we have collected a list of highly rated apps available on Apple App and Google Play stores, and detailed them below.
| App Name | Features | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Shut Eye | This sleep app provides audio recording and analysis, ambient soundscapes, sleep stories, guided meditation, and personalized sleep coaching. It also includes dream interpretations, nap assistance, and educational articles on various sleep topics, including sleep positions and causes of sleep talking. | Free (basic version) |
Sleep Tracker |
Create a straightforward virtual sleep diary allowing you to record daily entries to monitor your sleep patterns, essential details, and sleep quality while also providing sleep trends and averages over time. | Free |
| Breathwrk | Offers short breathing exercises to promote deep, stress-reducing breaths during the day, ultimately improving your sleep at night. Access both one-time exercises and daily breathwork programs to support your overall wellbeing. | Free (basic version) |
| Insomnia Coach | Explore an app for sleep improvement and insomnia management. It includes a sleep diary, symptom tracking, relaxation tools, and educational resources, all backed by a 5-week cognitive behavioural therapy-based training plan. | Free |
| Smiling Mind | A free mental health app which uses evidence-based research to provide daily meditation sessions, guidance, and sleep modules tailored to your preferences and current level of sleep quality. | Free |
| Heaspace | A mindfulness and sleep app with guided meditation, daily sleep podcasts, and breathing exercises.For Netflix subscribers, Headspace also produced ‘Unwind your Mind’, an interactive show with soothing visuals, quick breathing and meditation exercises, and 45-minute bedtime stories. | Free (basic version) |
| The Sleepy Bookshelf | Bedtime stories for adults: The Sleepy Bookshelf – Podcast Classic fiction books, read in a calm and peaceful voice. Stories are split into sections, allowing you to listen to a segment each evening. E.g., Alice in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, and Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Available online, on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart radio |
Free |
| Spotify | The Spotify ‘Sleep’ genre •Collections of ambient sounds |
Free (basic version) |