🩺 Stop Counting Sheep And Start Counting The Sleep Apps On Your Phone

Health apps are not a new thing. By now, you’ve surely heard of Calm, Headspace, and a slew of other competitors.

However, the most common type of health app may surprise you. Can you guess what it is? Hint: reread the title of this article.

Fantastic guess! Sleep Apps.

What is that?

Sleep apps aim to help you fall asleep, stay asleep, or track your biometrics while you sleep (including movement). Since 2010, there has been an increase in studies done (and funded) to test the effectiveness of sleep apps. The results have been inconclusive.

Oddly, many of the most downloaded sleep apps don’t mention the recommended amount of sleep or the benefits of sleep.

Instead, opting to keep the design sleek and focus on soothing sounds, white noise, and colorful images, per Syracuse University.

It’s good to keep in mind what these apps are trying to curb. Insomnia and (maybe) sleeping pill consumption.

Sleeping Pills

According to the CDC,

• 8.4% of US Adults took sleeping pills in 2020

• The number of people taking sleeping pills in the US has doubled since 2010

For me, I don’t like having my phone near me when I sleep. So three months ago, I bought a Hatch alarm clock. It’s been a game changer for my sleep quality because the rain sounds drown out the noise of New York City. Also, it has a red light that reminds me to get off my phone and hit the hay.

In short: Sleeping apps are the hot new thing in the health app space. Whether they are great at what they claim is TBD, but they might be worth testing if your experiencing sleep issues. Personally, I would recommend the Hatch alarm clock if you have the budget.