Harmonic World

If you’ve been struggling to get a good night’s sleep since news of the coronavirus pandemic began flooding your newsfeed—you are not alone.From worrying about how long the virus stays on different surfaces, to fretting about when quarantine will end, there’s virtually no limit to the anxiety-inducing factors disrupting our ability to fall (and stay) asleep these days.That said, maintaining good quality sleep is important for both our mental and physical health (most notably, our immune systems), and eliminating sneaky sleep mistakes while (finally) getting stuck into a good meditation app could be the key to putting your nightly slumber back on track.

THE 7 BEST MEDITATION APPS TO HELP YOU SLEEP

1 / 7

Pzizz – Sleep, Nap, Focus

Endorsed by the likes of J.K. Rowling (who said it was “the best app she’d used by a mile”), Pzizz has a pretty solid following of sleep-seeking fans. Designed to help you get some shut-eye without making major changes to your lifestyle, Pzizz uses the latest clinical research to play “dreamscapes”—otherwise known as a sleep-optimised mix of music, voiceover, and sound effects to lull you into the land of nod. Moreover, their patented “Dreamscapes” change every night, so you never get used to hearing it. If you just want a short refresher, the app’s “Nap Module” is there to serve, customising specially designed nap narrations to ensure alertness upon waking (so long, groggy post-nap feelings!).

Download now from the Apple App Store or Google Play

2 / 7

Relax Melodies: Sleep Sounds

Boasting a rich library of carefully crafted ASMR sounds and binaural beats which are scientifically proven to induce sleep, it doesn’t really get much better than Relax Melodies as far as sleep-friendly ambience goes. From nature sounds to white noise, each track is designed to lower anxiety and enable rest. The app also offers guided sleep meditations and soothingly narrated bedtime stories, written specifically to help you drift off into dreamland.

Download now from the Apple App Store or Google Play

3 / 7

Insight Timer

One of the most downloaded mindfulness apps in the world, Insight Timer is a one-stop-shop for all things meditation and sleep. Packed with thousands of meditations, sleep soundtracks and even courses by mindfulness experts, neuroscientists and psychologists from leading institutions around the globe, Insight Timer has everything anyone could want out of a meditation app. Everything can be filtered by mood, length, voice, or to find options with and without music. It even shows a map highlighting how many people are using the app at the same time as you are (a little collective consciousness goes a long way!). And while it is one of the best free apps on the market, those who do opt in for the app’s premium subscription will get free access to the app’s mindfulness courses, the option to listen to meditations offline, night mode and even higher audio quality.

Download now from the Apple App Store and Google Play

4 / 7

Smiling Mind

Australian app Smiling Mind is ideal for both adults and children who are struggling to get restful sleep. Designed to be all-encompassing, this free app features a number of categories alongside its dedicated sleep section that mindfulness can help improve (less stress during the day means less stress before bed!). These include relationships, work, classroom environments, sports and so much more.

Download now from the Apple App Store and Google Play

5 / 7

Calm

Widely considered one of the best apps for meditation and sleep, Calm is the perfect mindfulness app for beginners (although it offers plenty for more advanced users, too). There are guided meditations in various lengths, sleep stories read by well-known talent like Matthew McConaughey and Leona Lewis, breathing programs, stretching exercises and relaxing music that’s perfect for a stress-busting yoga session before bed.

Download now from the Apple App Store or Google Play

6 / 7

Headspace

Loved and used by millions around the world every day, Headspace takes the intimidation factor out of meditation with its quirky animations, playful narrations and easy-to-follow sessions. Free to download with multiple subscription options to deepen your experience, the app boasts hundreds of guided meditations from as little as two minutes in length, to help ease you into starting or returning to a practice. Sleep-focused stories and meditations aside, it also offers ‘The Wake Up’ and ‘Move’ modes, both of which are designed to kickstart your day in the right headspace (pun not intended) and infuse your daily exercise with mindfulness. All the better to do before your head even hits the pillow!

Download now on the Apple App Store or Google Play

7 / 7

Slumber: Fall Asleep, Insomnia

Especially dedicated to helping you drift off and tackle stubborn insomnia, Slumber makes the meditation process simple. All you have to do is choose a relaxing story or meditation from its abundant library of tales, ambient nature sounds, ASMR soundscapes and narrated sessions, while their skilled guides and storytellers use suggestive hypnosis to help you relax and nod off. All sound levels are adjustable and you can delay the endings to continue the relaxing ambience for as long as you like (although as many of the reviews suggest, you’ll probably knock off before you even get close to the end). The first 10 episodes are free, after which a premium subscription grants you access to the complete library.

Download now from the Apple App Store

Source: Elle Australia