Tag: Meditation »

Problems sleeping is a major issue for many, myself included. Not getting a good night's sleep means one's productivity the next day plummets, plus you turn grouchy, irritable and no fun to be around. There's no iOS app yet that will send you to sleep within seconds. There are, however, a few great options for helping wake you up in a more appropriate manner than through an incredibly loud alarm clock. Here's my (sleep-deprived) look at four highlights of the bunch.

Suno
Recently reviewed, Suno offers the delights of a sunrise in order to gradually wake one up, and get the day going just right. It's not quite as simple to navigate as one would like but, once set up, it provides a great, gradual sunrise, all lined up according to when you want to get up. It works best in a particularly dark room, of course.

Sleep by MotionX
Analyzing everything possible in a bid to wake its users at just the right moment in their sleep cycle, Sleep by MotionX is a useful life aid. It's just a matter of placing the iOS device on the bed with the app doing the rest. A graph facility makes it simple to see how one's sleep is progressing over time. Even better, the app comes with daytime activities too, such as a pedometer feature and heart rate monitor.

Deep Sleep
Offering a form of relaxation therapy, Deep Sleep is a different change of pace to the other apps featured here. Through the voice of therapist, Andrew Johnson, users are guided gently to sleep through a series of meditational audio programs. Thanks to the soothing voice, it gradually calms the user, slowing their breathing down, thereby enabling them to relax and fall asleep. It might sound a little gimmicky but it can work impressively well.

Sleep Cycle
It's been quite the phenomenon since its launch nearly 4 years ago, but Sleep Cycle has remained relevant ever since. Solely an intelligent alarm clock, it does similar things to Sleep by MotionX but at a lower price. Tracking different phases of sleep, from light to deep sleep, the app works out the optimal time to wake you. It'll even work out which days provide the best form of sleep. It's both interesting and potentially very useful.