Unlock Deep Sleep: 5 Meditation Apps You Need to Try
There’s a reason why mindfulness apps are trending. They work. If you haven’t already jumped on the meditation bandwagon, then you’ve probably thought about dipping your toe in. Getting more in tune with ourselves is scientifically proven to lower stress and anxiety, improve focus and quality of z's.
The best part? There’s no one way to do it. Just like your meditation practice, your sleep routine is yours to customise. And let's be honest, a good kip these days feels like a hot commodity. With the never-ending flood of notifications, emails, scrolling and general pace of life overwhelming us, switching off has never felt harder. We've put together our favourite sleep meditation and mindfulness apps, to help you beat the blue light and get the sleep you deserve. Whether you’re into guided meditations, calming sounds, or bed stories to get you to the land of nod, there’s an app for you.
1. Best For Bed Stories: Calm
The name says it all, this app has been proven to provide some serious zen for its millions of users. Anxiety? Never heard of her. Calm offers easy to use guided meditations, sleep stories, ASMR, breathing exercises and soundscapes, so you can skip the counting sheep part. Look out for relaxing bed stories (for kids and adults), some are even narrated by celebrities like Jay Shetty and Matthew McConaughey. Alright, alright, alright.
2. Best For Quick Kips: Pzizz
Sleep at the push of a button, Pzizz is designed to help you fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up refreshed. The app claims to be the world's most advanced sleep and power nap system and from the thousands of happy user reviews, it's safe to say it works. The apps centres on 'dreamscapes', a calming cocktail of sound and voice-over (which you can control by gender and volume) that never repeats twice. Hate when the track finishes before you’re asleep? Pzizz lets you customise your listening time to up to 24 hours. Let’s hope it doesn’t take that long, doll.
3. Best For On A Budget: Insight Timer
Suitable for newbies and pros, Insight is one of the best free mindfulness apps on the market. Whilst there’s still a premium subscription option, you’ll find a ton of guided meditations, dreamy tunes, and courses to improve your sleep for zilch. The app is perfect for customising your meditation practice, allowing you to filter by mood, sound, length, and topic relevant to you (or your woes). Look out for live sessions and courses from mindfulness experts, neuroscientists and psychologists all around the world.
4. Best For Guided Meditation: Headspace
The popular kid of meditation apps, Headspace boasts hundreds of guided meditations and sleep exercises for a better snooze. The gently narrated ‘sleepcasts’ are a bedtime must — think 45-55min sleep stories that encourage visualisation of calming experiences like walking along a beach or on a slow-moving train. Whether you need a 5-minute track or a longer meditation to get you lights out, the app has something in it's arsenal.
5. Best for Insomniacs: Slumber
With over 2 million downloads, Slumber is a go-to sleep app for night owls around the globe. Home to a collection of dribble-inducing stories and meditations, the app is designed to beat insomnia and help you fall asleep quickly - every single night. Drift off to a fairytale, a gondola ride through Venice, a history lesson, or the sounds of a babbling brook. If Ericksonian hypnosis techniques tickles your fancy, therapeutic hypnotist Dan Jones hosts stories to induce z's.
