New Year, Better Sleep: Best Apps for Anxiety and Sleep

In our fast-paced, digitally-driven world, finding quality sleep and managing anxiety can be challenging. Fortunately, technology offers a range of solutions designed to help you unwind, relax, and achieve a peaceful night's rest. From guided meditations and white noise generators to sleep trackers and personalized relaxation techniques, these apps are crafted to address the unique stressors of modern life. In this post, I explore some of the best apps available for sleep and anxiety, offering insights into how they can help you cultivate a calmer mind and a more restful sleep routine.

Calm

Calm is probably one of the most popular mental health and mindfulness apps out there! It has a variety of tools that you can use and customize to what you need. When you open the app, you can set your “scene” which is the background. I love that you can customize it to a calming background of your choice and choose to include sounds or video. The app includes sounds, music, sleep stories (stories that you listen to that help promote sleep), and guided meditations. You can explore the app by choosing meditation, sleep, or music which makes it easy to navigate. Unfortunately, the app does not have a lot of free content, making it one that I don’t recommend at first. However, for only $5.84 a month, you can have access to some high-quality content.

UCLA Mindfulness

If you are looking for an app that is simple, basic, and minimalistic, this is it! The app has 7 basic meditations. These meditations include breathing meditations, body scans, a body scan for sleep (which is amazing), and others. The shortest meditation is 5 minutes and the longest one is 13 minutes (the body scan for sleep) making this app very user-friendly if you do not have much time. The meditations are offered in a variety of languages. The app also includes videos providing education on mindfulness and meditation, how to choose a meditation, and selecting a meditation posture. The app also includes a timer if you would like to do your own meditation.

While this app does not have as much as the others included in this blog, I highly recommend this app to my clients because it is free and very easy to use. The body scan for sleep is one that I highly encourage my clients to try if they are having difficulty going to sleep due to racing thoughts. There have been nights where I have used it and I have fallen asleep halfway through and other nights where I have done it twice. While it doesn’t have as much as other apps, I highly recommend it for an introduction to mindfulness and meditation.

Insight Timer

Insight Timer is without a doubt my favorite app and the one I personally use the most. It’s free to download and has loads of free content on it. The app has a variety of tools including courses, guided meditations, sounds, sleep stories, a mood tracker, yoga, and a journal. There is a paid version that gives you access to more content but I have found the free version to be more than enough. On Insight Timer, the “Teacher” has a profile that includes tracks, courses, and live events that they may have. If you do a guided meditation that you particularly enjoy, you can follow the “Teacher” on the app so you have easy access to their content. You can also “bookmark” your favorite ones and rate meditations that you complete.

My favorite parts of the app include the music and the ability to follow teachers you like on the app. I’ve played music for sleeping, meditating, or even as I am working. You can also filter guided meditations by time so if you only have 5 minutes, you can easily find one that fits your availability. Outside of the sounds and how user-friendly the app is, I love that you can “bookmark” your favorite meditations. It makes it so easy for me to go to the ones I particularly enjoy.  

Last Thoughts

Incorporating the right app into your nightly routine can make a significant difference in the quality of your sleep. Whether you prefer soothing sounds, guided meditations, or detailed sleep tracking, there's an app tailored to your specific needs. By leveraging these tools, you can foster better sleep habits, reduce nighttime stress, and wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Remember, improving your sleep is a journey, and with the aid of these innovative apps, you're well on your way to more restful nights and brighter mornings. Sleep well and sweet dreams!

Struggle with Anxiety and Have Trouble Sleeping? Therapy for High-Achieving Women in Austin, TX can help!

Therapy can help you learn effective ways to manage anxiety and get better sleep so you are not lying in bed for hours with your mind racing. Your life does not have to be ruled by anxiety and sleep deprivation. You deserve to feel rested and less anxious and I would love to help you get there. 

Ready to make a change?

1.       Send me a brief message here!

2.       I’ll reach out shortly and we will schedule a brief consultation call to ensure that therapy with me will be a good fit.

Have you read self-help books and followed mental health accounts on Instagram but are left needing more support? Dr. Molly Moore is a licensed psychologist in Austin, TX who specializes in working with high-achieving women who experience anxiety, imposter syndrome, and burnout. Not in Austin, no problem! All services are provided online. Reach out today to get started!