By Sneh Makhecha (‘28)

Have you ever had that moment when you just tossed and turned in your bed because, for whatever reason, you just couldn’t fall asleep? I definitely have, especially since I started to use screen time before sleeping. As I mentioned in previous articles, social media’s effects on health can be extremely negative, including addiction, a lack of sleep, and peer pressure. However, I’ve recently discovered some ways that screen time can actually help users with sleep-related issues. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try using the following features on your phone to fix this issue.

Firstly, let’s discuss Brain.fm, which costs $50 per year. Brain.fm is an app that has a variety of music tracks for different “modes” in your daily life, including concentration, meditation, and sleeping. According to the “Our Science” section of the Brain.fm website, Brain.fm is supported by the National Science Foundation. In addition, scientists have performed tests comparing normal music ( or placebo controls) to music with Brain.fm technology. The results showed an increase of blood flow into the brain compared to other types of music, such as pink noise, which is low-frequency electric signals that create a deep sound. An article published by Flinders University and written by Dr. Gareth Furber covers the helpful focus and reading playlists on Brain.fm. Furber also discusses a concept in Brain.fm technology known as salience. Salience is essentially music that is pleasing to the ear, but not distracting. This creates a playlist that helps listeners concentrate, relax, and go to sleep effectively. 

Personally, I have not purchased Brain.fm, but I have tried out a few of their free tracks, and they really helped me focus and sleep. They have two free sleep tracks, Fall Asleep Fast and Deep Sleep. I’ve used Fall Asleep Fast a few times, and so far, it’s really helped! I’ve only used Deep Sleep once, but it also had amazing results. 

Similar to Brain.fm, Calm is an app that has relaxing music to help its listeners unwind and fall asleep. It has more than 2,000,000 five-star reviews. In addition, Calm has over 500 bedtime stories, meditation practices, and soundtracks. In Verywell Mind’s article about Calm, author Steven Rowe explained pricing logistics. Rowe said that Calm cost $14.99 monthly, $69.99 yearly, and $399.99 for a lifetime subscription. Rowe paid for the monthly subscription and he absolutely loved it! He mentioned the wide variety of amazing content on the app, such as the rain soundscapes and the guided meditations.

I don’t have much experience with Calm, although I do know Calm has some free guided meditations available. If you’re thinking of investing in Calm, try taking a look at the reviews online about it, such as the video review by Dr. Allison Answers. Hopefully, you are able to utilize the amazing resources available on the Calm app!

Some other methods to help you fall asleep are available on your personal device. According to Apple Support, iPhones can easily provide background music for their users. If you have an iPhone, you can find this feature in Settings. Click on Accessibility, and then go to Audio and Visuals. Then, go to Background Sounds and toggle them on. For a visual demonstration, take a look at this video from Apple Support. Some of the accessible sounds include bright noise, dark noise, ocean waves, and rain. The Background Sounds feature is an amazing way to relax before bed, and I’d absolutely recommend trying it out.

To conclude, there are several different apps, features, and websites that you can use on your mobile device to help you develop healthy sleep strategies. There are many other sleep methods that might work better for you than the ones mentioned above, so you may want to do some extra research before you decide what works best for you. All in all, it’s important to remember that screen time can be used as a tool to help your sleep rather than hurt it. I hope some of these tips will help you get a much needed rest.