Kayla Dube · October 23, 2024 · 7 min read With the business of everyday life, a lot of time when you put your head on the pillow to finally get some rest, your brain just doesn’t know how to shut off. If you find it’s taking you much longer to fall asleep, and you’re doing a lot of tossing and turning, you could benefit from meditation practice before bed.
If you’ve never tried meditation before, the sound of it can be a little daunting or confusing. Do you just sit and try not to think about anything? Who can stay still for that long? Well, these worries usually come from a misunderstanding of what meditation actually is.
Try it out for yourself and see just how powerful it can be in getting you to relax before bed. Trying out an app that can help guide you through meditation is a great way to go. Below, we have listed the top apps for meditation that you can use to get some much-needed sleep.
1. Calm
This app has made lots of users into daily meditation practitioners, simply because of its ease of use and a huge library of content. In this app, you can choose meditations for any purpose, and there’s even a dedicated section for sleep.
Besides that, you’ll find music to listen to if that’s more your thing. There are sleep meditation stories as well, if you find visualization helps you relax. With the free version of the app, there are a number of audio selections available, however, you’ll have access to the whole app for $69.99 a year. Make sure to check with your health care provider as some give you access to the app for free as one of the benefits to having their insurance.
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2. Headspace
Another very popular meditation app is Headspace, founded by a Buddhist monk with 10-years of meditation experience. The app has a dedicated section for sleep, with meditation audio for any purpose, whether you want a guided meditation, soundscapes, or help with winding down.
Besides sleep, you can learn about meditation through the app with Headspace’s meditation courses. These guide you through all the important aspects of meditation and how to do them so you can practice it on your own. Besides the free offerings on the app, you can have access to everything for $69.99 a year or $12.99 a month.
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3. Breethe
Breethe is a great app to use before bedtime. It has tons of meditation audio for anything you might be dealing with. Besides meditation, the app also has audio that teaches you better sleeping habits, provides hypnotherapy, and can help you learn to do meditation on your own.
There is also a self-therapy section that allows you to tell the app about certain stressors you might be facing, and it will provide you with meditation sessions that can help you. Overall, the app is very relaxing with peaceful visuals and plenty of audio available to free users. To get access to everything, the app costs $12.99 a month.
Download for iOS
Download for Android
4. Insight Timer
If you’re looking for customizable options with your meditation app, Insight Timer is a great choice. Once you sign up, you can choose from many different stressors that might be affecting you. You can also turn off certain types of teachings you aren’t very interested in, so you can have a great experience whether you want something more scientifically-grounded or religious.
Another big part of Insight Timer is that you can find tons of Live meditation, yoga, and other such sessions from expert teachers. Some of these take place around when you may be going to sleep, so you can join in right before bed. There are also tens of thousands of free audio offerings, so you won’t run out of content any time soon.
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5. BetterMe: Mental Health
This app has lots of tools available to help you relax, destress, and get to sleep. Depending on the goals you choose when you sign up, the app will tailor a plan for you each day with breathing meditations, articles, and courses to help you manage emotions.
You can also create your own relaxing soundscapes, find stories for sleep, and do breathing practices in order to quickly relax and wind down for sleep. You can get a free trial for the app, or pay monthly at $19.99.
Download for iOS
Download for Android
6. Meditation Nest
This app provides tons of sleep-related content, with its own dedicated section. You can find bedtime stories, sounds, or meditation sessions to help you drift off. The look of the app is very calming in itself, and easy to use and find exactly the kind of meditation you want.
There are also sections for all meditation sessions, as well a sound section where you can choose from lots of different ambient sounds. The app is free to use for 3 days, then you can pay $17.99 monthly for access to the entire app.
Download for iOS
7. Aura
The great part of the Aura app is that there are so many different types of meditations to choose from, no matter what you want to get out of the practice. For sleep, you can find soundscapes, ASMR, deep sleep meditation, stories, body scans, and even some yoga.
You can even find coaches on this app who provide specialized content, including life coaching, cognitive behavioral therapy, breathwork, and more. So, no matter what your goals are, Aura is a great choice for easing stress before bed. You can access some content for free, or you can pay $59.99 a year for the entire app.
Download for iOS
Download for Android
8. MyLife Meditation
If you have some specific stressors in your life that are keeping you from getting a good night’s rest, MyLife can help you work on them so by the end of the day your mind is at ease. They also provide plenty of sleep meditations to help you actually fall asleep.
A unique part of this app is the daily check-ins, where you can tell the app how your body and mind are feeling, as well as pinpoint specific emotions you want to target. The app will provide you with content that can help you out. There are tons of free offerings available. However if you want access to all the app has to offer, you can pay $9.99 a month or $58.99 a year.
Download for iOS
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9. Relax Melodies
If you’re into soundscapes and music for sleep, Relax Melodies is the best out there. With tons of sounds available, you can create your own mixes to get the perfect ambiance. There is also a section for sleep, with stories, meditations, breathing exercises, as well as calming bedtime exercises they call SleepMoves to help you fall asleep faster.
Relax Melodies is a unique app among the others of its kind and has tons of free content. But, you can pay $59.99 a year to get access to it all.
Download for iOS
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10. Ten Percent Happier
The Ten Percent Happier app is based on the best-selling book of the same name, written by ABC News host Dan Harris. After his on-air panic attack, he decided to figure out how to better deal with his anxiety, which led him to meditation.
The app is designed to help you navigate difficult emotions, with courses, podcasts, and meditations. There is a specific section for sleep as well, with meditation sessions from experts that will help you fall asleep quickly and easily. A lot of the app is free, or you can buy a yearly subscription of $99.99.
Download for iOS
Download for Android
The Best Meditation Apps for Sleep
By using any of the apps listed above, you should finally be able to get yourself in just the right state of mind for bedtime. With endless options for not only meditation but other de-stressing tools, you’ll be well on your way to relaxation and deep sleep.
