How the Sleep Cycle App Changed the Way I Wake Up (and My Life)

Say goodbye to a bad morning! Sleep Cycle Sleep Tracking App Changes My Life

The traditional alarm clock will wake you up at a set time, no matter which stage of sleep you are in. The Sleep Cycle app will wake you up when you are in the lightest sleep stage, bringing you a more comfortable wake-up experience. I've used Sleep Cycle for nearly 2400 days and it completely changed my mornings.

I used to hate getting up in the morning. I started using this app since realizing how bad a normal alarm is, which made me wake up in a light sleep phase and completely changed my life.

What is Sleep Cycle? How does it work?

Sleep Cycle operates by monitoring sleep throughout the night. It can be monitored using your phone microphone or connected smartwatch.

Although I have tried the smartwatch method in the past, I have been sticking with the microphone for nearly 2400 nights using Sleep Cycle. I found it to be fairly accurate and without wearing any extra equipment, it also detects if I snore or cough.

Sleep Cycle collects data through a microphone and monitors your breathing and activity in the bed through sound. Using this data, Sleep Cycle can determine relatively accurately which sleep cycle you are currently in.

When you wake up, the app will show your sleep percentage, tell you the quality of your sleep, and show whether you cough, sleep talk, snore, etc. However, this data is also used in the wake-up window of Sleep Cycle, which is where it really changes the game.

The traditional alarm clock will ring at the set time, no matter which sleep stage you are in

We all used traditional alarm clocks, which would ring at a specific time. Whether it’s an old wood grain alarm clock or an alarm clock app on your phone, it’s our go-to when we need to wake up at a specific time.

But if I say this is not the best way to wake up, don't your mornings always be awakened by the alarm clock? The standard alarm clock does not know which sleep cycle you are currently in, it just rings at a specified time. This is not ideal for us.

We have periods of sleep. Sometimes the sleep is lighter and sometimes the sleep is deeper. If you have ever felt very groggy after waking up in the morning, even if you "sleep soundly", you are likely to be awakened during the third stage or even during the REM sleep cycle. During the last two stages of sleep, we sleep more heavily and have difficulty waking up. This is not considered by a standard alarm clock.

So I stopped using the traditional alarm and instead used Sleep Cycle on my iPhone (it works for Android as well). Sleep Cycle can work like other alarms. However, it's better when used with a wake-up window.

Wake up window: a window of opportunity

I have said that I don't like waking up at a specific time every day. But what if you have to wake up at 6 a.m. every day? What other options are there besides setting an alarm clock at 6 o'clock?

Sleep Cycle's wake-up window comes in handy. Using the sleep data you collect while you sleep, Sleep Cycle can determine which sleep stage you are in. This tells the app if you are in deep sleep (stage 3 or REM sleep), or if you are in a lighter sleep phase, ideally you should wake up at this phase.

The default wake-up window is 30 minutes, and I have been using it for more than six years. Within 30 minutes before the set alarm time, Sleep Cycle will wake you up when you sleep the lightest.

This makes it much easier for me to wake up in the morning. Even if you only slept for 2 to 3 hours because you slept too late, waking up at the lightest time of your sleep can make it easier on a difficult morning.

You might say, "But if I set the alarm at 6 o'clock, I don't want to wake up at 5:30!" I would say, "You actually would rather wake up at 5:30 in the lighter sleep phase at 5:30!" , and don't want to wake up in deep sleep at 6 o'clock. "

This type of alarm clock requires some transition time to adapt. But it's very worth it.

The nap function is also unique when you use the wake-up window. When set to Smart Nap, Sleep Cycle monitors your sleep and tries to prevent you from entering deep sleep during nap—another reason we feel groggy in the morning.

What I like most about wake-up window is that the nap function is disabled once the alarm time is reached. So, for me, I woke up at 7 a.m. My alarm clock may start ringing around 6:40. I'll lie in bed and take a nap until the app stops letting me take a nap anymore. Once this happens, I know it's 7 o'clock now and it's time to get up.

The wake-up window changed my morning

I used to hate mornings. I still hate it now, but I don't hate it that much now. I have never had a good sleep habit. Although my schedule started to be a little regular in my late 20s, when I was in my early 20s, I would sometimes sleep until 3 or 4 a.m. and then get up at 6:30 a.m. to go to work. Although Sleep Cycle can't let me sleep more, it helped me avoid the pain of being awakened in the morning.

Funny thing is, I want to wake up before I have to get up. I never thought I would like it, and when my friend told me about this app a few years ago, I also said it was a stupid idea. However, now that I have been using it for nearly seven years, I can't imagine without it.

My wife has been using Sleep Cycle to track her sleep while using the standard alarm function, but not using the wake-up window because she doesn't think she would like it. However, in the past week or so, she has started using the wake-up window since I told her I was writing this post and she really likes it.

Unless you spend a few weeks transitioning from a traditional awakening experience, it's hard to understand how big a change it can make. The first few nights were tough, but afterwards, you'll find the difference it makes is amazing.

I used to need coffee to start thinking. Now, I can wake up and start my day right away. Some days I will live a little slower, some days I will be directly involved in my work, all of which do not require coffee (first thing).

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You no longer need to hate waking up in the morning and feeling bad. I used to be, but Sleep Cycle did change my life. The app is totally free, but I'd love to pay $40 a year for premium versions for cloud sync and other features, as I want to make sure I support developers and keep it as long as possible.

• Apple iPhone
• Android
• Apple Watch

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