The 6 Best Sleep Meditation Apps to Fall Asleep Faster in 2024

Sleepless nights can feel like a waking nightmare. You toss and turn for hours but just can’t seem to get restful sleep. You try all of the traditional methods, and nothing seems to work. Fortunately, there are digital tools that can ease your sleep struggles. Sleep meditation apps have become a popular and effective way to enhance sleep quality, manage stress, and develop lasting sleep habits.

In this article, we’ve curated a list of the best sleep meditation apps that offer a variety of features, including guided meditations, sleep stories, soothing music, and more. Whether you want to fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, or wake up feeling refreshed, these apps have you covered.

Key takeaways:

• Insight Timer is the best sleep meditation app of 2024, known for its variety of free guided sleep meditations, bedtime stories, and soundscapes.
• Calm, Headspace, and BetterSleep are great alternatives but require premium subscriptions to access all features.
• Lesser-known sleep apps like Pzizz and Smiling Mind are simpler options that also offer sleep soundtracks and meditations. 

1. Insight Timer

When it comes to sleep meditation apps, Insight Timer stands out as the best overall. Known for its extensive library of guided sleep meditations, this app is a goldmine for anyone looking to improve their sleep quality. With over 200,000 free meditations and sleep tracks, Insight Timer helps users unwind and sleep soundly. Whether you’re new to sleep meditation or a seasoned practitioner, you’ll find sleep soundscapes, bedtime stories, and music to suit your needs.

Insight Timer also features a tightly woven community of meditators, coaches, and teachers. Join interest-based groups and connect with others seeking to build healthy sleep habits.

Key features

• Free access to over 200,000 guided meditations, with a vast selection focused on sleep.
• Bedtime sleep stories and meditations for children and adults to fall asleep. 

• Nature sounds and sleep soundscapes for users that prefer relaxing with unguided meditations.

• Customizable timers and background sounds, including ambient sounds, binaural beats, and brown noise to create the perfect sleep environment.
• Community features that allow users to join sleep interest groups, connect with others, and find motivation through group challenges.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• No paywall: Almost all of Insight Timer’s sleep content is accessible without a subscription.
• Variety of content: Insight Timer features a range of sleep-specific meditations, music, and sounds—not to mention thousands of meditations for other interests, including breathing exercises, stress, manifestation, and more!
• Active community: With over 25,000 groups and live events happening each day, you can enhance your meditation experience any time.
• Easy to use: Insight Timer’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to find meditations and courses by interest. 

Cons:

• The vast content library may be overwhelming for new users.
• Some content requires in-app purchases.

Explore Insight Timer’s 200,000+ free guided meditations to improve sleep quality and support overall well-being. Access over 18,000 of the world’s top sleep and meditation teachers and a growing community of like-minded individuals.

Community reviews

“Our family has loved Insight Timer for years now. Nearly every update has been an improvement on an already great app. We use it when putting our little ones to bed at night (and we’re too exhausted to tell them a story or sing to them ourselves). My 8-yo particularly loves Cori Cochiolo, especially her Heidi, Cherry, and Vaya series. Our kids often turn it on when they go to sleepovers, especially if they’re having trouble falling asleep. Their friends usually start using it, too.”

Lyssaszoo

“I find these meditations very helpful, especially to help with sleep. I usually fall asleep to one and often get back to sleep with one in the middle of the night. Even when I am not able to sleep, I am more relaxed, which is restorative, too. I find listening to a short morning meditation helps me frame my day in a more positive way. The vast material offered is mostly free, with the option to give a donation to individual speakers. I am grateful to have this app!”

Joyce

2. Calm

Calm is another top contender, especially if you enjoy winding down with sleep stories and soundscapes. Calm is well-known for its premium content, which includes bedtime stories narrated by celebrities, relaxing music, and a variety of sleep sounds that cater to many preferences. Whether you’re looking to fall asleep to the soothing voice of Matthew McConaughey or the calming sounds of gentle rain, Calm has suitable options for most users.

Key features

• Sleep stories narrated by well-known voices to help adults and children fall asleep.
• Soundscapes and nature sounds that include white noise, ocean waves, and rainforest ambiance.
• Daily Calm sessions that offer a new meditation practice every day. 
• Sleep music playlists to help you relax and sleep more deeply.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High-quality: Calm offers professionally produced sleep stories and soundscapes.
• User-friendly interface: The app is easy to navigate.
• Variety of sleep content: Calm features a variety of sleep and meditation content, with new recommended meditations each day.

Cons:

• Subscription needed: Most of Calm’s best features require a subscription. And most of their meditations aren’t free, but users can sign up for a seven-day free trial.
• No group or community: Calm does not offer community features, making it difficult for users to connect about shared experiences.

• Limited content: While Calm has a range of sleep-related content, it doesn’t have many options for topics outside of sleep. 

3. Headspace

If you’re looking for a more structured approach to improving your sleep, Headspace is a solid option. Known for its easy-to-follow meditation courses, Headspace offers specific programs for enhancing sleep quality. These courses guide you through the science of sleep, teaching you how to develop better sleep hygiene and manage stress more effectively.

Key features

• Sleep courses that focus on building a sleep foundation through mindfulness and relaxation techniques.
• Wind down sessions designed to prepare your mind and body for sleep.
• Nighttime SOS meditations that help you return to sleep if you wake up during the night.
• Sleepcasts that combine storytelling with relaxing sounds to help you unwind.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Comprehensive sleep content: Headspace offers everything from sleep courses to sleepcasts to help users fall and stay asleep throughout the night.
• Approachable: The app is great for beginners due to its structured approach.
• Engaging interface: The animations and visuals make for an engaging meditation experience. 

Cons:

• Limited free access: Most sleep courses are behind a paywall.
• Less flexible: Some users may find the structured approach lacks flexibility.
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• Lacks variety: Headspace only offers a few hundred meditation sessions with very few topics outside of sleep.

4. BetterSleep

BetterSleep (formerly Relax Melodies) is another great choice for those who prefer to tailor their sleep environment. This app specializes in customizable sleep sounds, allowing users to mix and match different ambient noises to create their ideal sleep soundscape. Whether you prefer the gentle hum of a fan, the rhythmic tapping of rain, or a combination of both, BetterSleep lets you craft the perfect soundtrack for sleep.

Key features

• Customizable soundscapes with a wide selection of relaxing sounds, including binaural beats and ASMR.
• Sleep aid tools like breathing exercises and bedtime stories to help you wind down.
• Personalized recommendations based on your sleep preferences and history.
• Sleep tracking features that help you monitor your sleep patterns and improve sleep hygiene.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Highly customizable: Users can create their own personal sleep soundscapes.
• Holistic: Includes tools for relaxation and sleep tracking.
• User-friendly: BetterSleep’s design makes it easy to create and save sound mixes.

Cons:

• Premium features: To get full functionality, users need to subscribe to the premium plan.
• Limited meditations: BetterSleep primarily focuses on sleep sounds and bedtime stories. Its meditation content is very limited compared to other apps.

5. Pzizz

Pzizz is a unique app designed to manage and improve your sleep cycle. It combines the science of psychoacoustics with curated audio tracks to help users fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling refreshed. Pzizz can be helpfull for those who struggle with irregular sleep patterns or sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea. The app also offers features like nap modules and waking alarms.

Key features

• Psychoacoustic audio technology that creates dynamically changing soundscapes to optimize sleep.
• Nap and sleep modules that help you rest at any time of day.
• Dreamscapes, which are combinations of voiceovers, music, and sound effects designed to guide you into sleep.
• Wakeup feature that gently wakes you up at the optimal point in your sleep cycle.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Uses advanced sound technology to improve sleep quality.
• Offers a comprehensive solution for managing sleep cycles.
• Customizable settings to suit individual sleep needs.

Cons:

• The app’s interface may feel outdated compared to competitors.
• Requires a subscription to access all features.

6. Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind offers a dynamic selection of sleep meditations for families looking to practice mindfulness together. This app is designed to make mindfulness accessible to everyone, with programs that address mental health issues, acute stress, and sleep. Smiling Mind’s kid-friendly sleep meditations are perfect for helping children develop healthy sleep habits.

Key features

• Family-focused content, including sleep meditations for kids and teens.
• Mindfulness programs to reduce anxiety and improve mental health.
• Short, easy-to-follow meditations that are ideal for bedtime.
• Sleep hygiene education that helps users of all ages develop better sleep habits.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Kid-friendly design that makes meditation fun and engaging for children.
• Offers free access to all content, making it accessible for everyone.
• Inclusive programs that cater to a wide age range.

Cons:

• The content library is smaller compared to other apps.
• Lacks advanced features and customizable sounds.

Fall asleep faster with Insight Timer

Insight Timer stands out as the best app for building a sleep meditation routine thanks to its extensive and free content library and expert-led sleep courses. With over 200,000 guided meditations, including sleep stories, relaxing music, and soundscapes, Insight Timer offers something for everyone. The app’s community features allow you to connect with others on a similar sleep journey, offering motivation and support.

For those looking to develop lasting sleep habits, Insight Timer is the perfect choice. Its variety of sleep-specific content helps users fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, making it an invaluable tool for improving sleep quality and overall well-being.

FAQs about the best free sleep meditation apps

What is the best sleep app for free?

Insight Timer is widely regarded as the best free sleep app due to its extensive library of free content, including guided meditations, sleep stories, and relaxing sounds. Unlike many other apps, Insight Timer offers thousands of sleep meditation options without a fee, making it accessible to everyone.

Is there a free sleep meditation app?

Yes, several free sleep meditation apps are available, including Insight Timer, Smiling Mind, and BetterSleep. Insight Timer offers the most variety when it comes to sleep-focused meditations, along with thousands of meditation on other topics—like mindfulness, breathwork, chakra healing, and more.

Do sleep apps actually work?

Yes, the best sleep apps can be effective in helping users improve their sleep quality. By offering guided meditations, sleep stories, and calming sounds, these apps create a relaxing environment that promotes better sleep. Recent research suggests that mindfulness and relaxation techniques, commonly found in sleep apps, can significantly reduce anxiety and improve sleep patterns.

Can sleep apps help with sleep apnea?

While sleep apps can help improve overall sleep quality, they are not a substitute for medical treatment for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious condition that requires professional medical advice and treatment. However, sleep apps can complement other treatments by helping you relax and manage mental and physical health.

How do I choose the best sleep app for me?

Choosing the best sleep app depends on your specific needs and preferences. Consider what features are most important to you, such as guided meditations, customizable sleep sounds, or sleep tracking. Determine whether or not you want to pay to use a sleep app. Insight Timer, for instance, offers almost all of its content and features for free.

References

Rusch, H. L., Rosario, M., Levison, L. M., Olivera, A., Livingston, W. S., Wu, T., & Gill, J. M. (2018). The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1445(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13996