5 Best Sleep Monitoring Apps
Jason Collier - 28th Aug 2018 [updated 2nd Sep 2019] - Mobile Health
Everyone wants to get a good night’s sleep. A good sleep will help you recover from fatigue, will help you wake up right side of the bed and will set you up for a productive day. There are many sleep monitoring apps on the various app markets, but Health Tech Hub has isolated the best 5!
You may be wondering if sleep is actually that important. Healthline posted an article detailing 10 reasons why sleep is important:
- Poor sleep can increase the likelihood of becoming overweight
- Good sleep can improve concentration and productivity
- Poor sleepers have a greater risk of heart disease and stroke
- Good sleepers tend to eat fewer calories
- Poor sleep affects glucose metabolism, thereby increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes
- Good sleep can maximise athletic performance
- Poor sleep is linked to depression
- Good sleep improves immune function
- Poor sleep is linked to increased inflammation
- Good sleep can positively affect emotions and social interactions
A sleep coach can help you to sleep better and live healthier as a result. So, here are the best sleep monitoring apps (in no specific order).
1. Sleeptracker 24/7
Sleeptracker 24/7 is a sleep monitoring app which helps you improve your sleep naturally, maximise your sleep efficiency, and wake up energised. It was first developed in 2012 and has since been featured in The New York Times, ABC News and by Dr Phil for all its successes!
It also features:
- An intelligent alarm clock which wakes you up at the optimal time while you’re in a light sleep phase so that you wake up refreshed
- In-depth sleep analysis, including snoring, sleep apnoea and sleep talking with 90% accuracy of professional sleep monitors used in sleep clinics
- 24 white noise sound options to help you fall asleep
- Heart rate monitoring functionality using the iPhone’s camera
- Activity tracking, including steps, activity time, calories and weight
- Apple Health integration: Share your Sleeptracker® 24/7 sleep, heart rate, and activity data to the Apple Health app.
The stats:
- Rating on App Store: 4.5 and #7 in Medical
- Available from the App Store
Source: MotionX
2. SnorLab
SnorLab is a doctor recommended app which is designed to record and track snoring and to provide solutions in order to improve your sleep. It works by simply allowing SnorLab to run whilst you sleep to record your snoring and to calculate your Snore Score. Find out if your snoring is as bad as your partner says it is! You owe it to them.
It also features:
- Advanced snore detection algorithms to record samples of your snoring
- A Snore intensity calculator called the Snore Score
- Sleep testing, so that the effectiveness of snoring remedies or the impact of factors such as alcohol cane be measured
- Sleep statistics
- Sleep sound recording, which can be emailed to healthcare professionals
- Information about snoring remedies
The stats:
- Downloads from Google Play: 1M+
- Rating on Google Play: 4.5 and selected as Editor's Choice
- Rating on App Store: 4.7 and #52 in Medical
- Available from Google Play and App Store
Source: SnorLab
3. Sleep as Android
Sleep as Android is designed to function as a smart alarm clock with sleep cycle tracking. Waking up in light sleep is natural, gentle and can be compared to the experience of waking up without any alarm clock! The fact that Sleep as Android has accumulated over 10 million downloads from Google Play and has been recognised as an editor’s choice speaks to its effectiveness.
It also features:
- A smart alarm clock with sleep cycle tracking
- Sleep movement tracking using sonar from your phone (no need to place your phone in your bed)
- Sleep statistics
- Sleep talk recording, snoring detection and anti-snoring capability
- Gentle alarms and lullabies
- CAPTCHA wake up verification preventing you from ever oversleeping again, including math, sheep counting, phone shaking, QR code scanning or NFC tags
- Ability to connect to wearables for tracking, including Wear OS and Galaxy Gear
- Ability to synchronise with health services, including Google Fit and Samsung Health
- Ability to control Smart Bulbs like the Philips HUE
The stats:
- Downloads from Google Play: 10M+
- Rating on Google Play: 4.6 and selected as Editor's Choice
- Available from Google Play
Source: Sleep as Android
4. Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle lets your phone analyse your sleep and wakes you up in the lightest sleep phase – the natural way to wake up feeling rested and energised. All you need to do is turn Sleep Cycle on before going to bed and place your device on your nightstand or close by on the floor. It has been featured in the Guardian, the New York Times and on CNN for good reason!
It also features:
- Sleep analysis with Sleep Cycle patented sound technology
- Detailed sleep statistics and daily sleep graphs
- Carefully selected alarm melodies
- Snooze control by shaking or double tapping the phone lightly
- A Customisable wake-up window
- Snore trends: view historical snore trends data
- Sleep aid: helps you fall asleep easier
The stats:
- Downloads from Google Play: 5M+
- Rating on Google Play: 4.5
- Rating on App Store: 4.7 and #45 in Health & Fitness
- Available from Google Play and App Store
Source: Sleep Cycle
5. Runtastic Sleep Better
“Sleep Better with Runtastic: Because great nights lead to great days!”
With over 5 million downloads from Google play, you have to believe that Runtastic’s Sleep Better will do exactly what its name says it will. The app allows you to track your sleep cycle and wake up feeling refreshed to the sounds of the Smart Alarm clock. Whether you struggle to fall asleep, are interested in tracking the phases of your sleep cycle, want better sleep, or simply want some new alarm clock sounds, Sleep Better will help you wake up ready to seize the day! All you need to do is start the app and simply set your device on your bed (next to your pillow).
It also features the ability to:
- Track your sleep cycle and duration
- Develop a better understanding of your light sleep, deep sleep and awake time
- Use the smart alarm clock to wake up at the ideal time during a sleep cycle
- Enter daily habits & variables, such as moon phases, caffeine consumption, exercise info, alcohol consumption and stress level, to determine the effects of these variables on your sleep quality
- View your personal sleep tracking log
The stats:
- Downloads from Google Play: 5M+
- Rating on Google Play: 4.1 and selected as Editor's Choice
- Rating on App Store: 4.0 and #197 in Health & Fitness
- Available from Google Play and App Store
Source: Runtastic Sleep Better
That brings an end to this article. If you enjoyed it, please share! If you want to get in contact, you can do so by clicking on this link.
Jason Collier
I am a current masters student at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. I recently completed my Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics, but decided to follow my passion for Healthcare Technology and further my studies with a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering. I started HealthTechHub.net to use as a platform to discuss the latest developments in the Health Tech & Digital Health fields!