5 best Android apps for sleep tracking

Last Updated on May 25, 2024 by Jhonni Jets

Sleep is an essential part of maintaining good health and well-being. Getting adequate, quality sleep is important for brain functioning, immune system regulation, mood control and more. However, in our busy modern lives, sleep is often sacrificed in favor of work, socializing and other activities.

Using a sleep tracking app can help you gain insight into your sleep patterns and habits. These apps use your smartphone’s sensors like the accelerometer and microphone to monitor your movements during sleep and detect when you fall asleep and wake up. Some advanced apps can even track your heart rate, respiration and noise levels in the room.

In this article, we review 5 of the best Android apps for sleep tracking , focusing on features, accuracy, customization options and more. With the right app, you can analyze your sleep data, set goals, and improve your sleep quality over time.

1. Sleep Cycle

Sleep Cycle is one of the most popular sleep tracking apps available for both iOS and Android. It uses your phone’s movement and sound sensors to track your light, deep and REM sleep stages throughout the night. On waking, it provides you with a sleep graph and sleep score based on how restful your sleep was.

Some key features of Sleep Cycle include smart alarms that wake you during light sleep for a more gentle rise, snooze controls, sleep sound recordings, and sleep stats over time. You can also set sleep goals and track progress. It’s generally considered one of the most accurate sleep trackers.

Sleep Cycle offers both free and premium versions. The premium adds sleep insights and detailed reports. Its simple and intuitive interface makes it ideal for basic yet effective sleep monitoring.

2. Sleep as Android

Sleep as Android is a highly customizable and powerful sleep tracking app. Along with the basics like sleep times, wake times and sleep stages, it can track snoring, noise levels, heart rate (with a compatible wearable) and more.

Some unique features include the option to create custom sleep schedules, wake-up sounds calibrated to your sleep cycles, a “sunrise alarm” that gradually brightens the screen, and a sleep graph with more granular stage breakdowns than most apps.

It also offers sleep muting to silence notifications during sleep, a sleep hygiene tracker to log factors affecting sleep, and smart alarms with snooze control. Both free and premium subscriptions are available, with the premium version removing ads and adding more stats.

3. Pillow

Pillow is a simple yet effective sleep tracker designed by Anthropic. It tracks basic sleep metrics like time asleep, awakenings and estimated sleep stages using your phone’s movement sensors during the night.

Some key features include sleep schedule tracking to establish a routine, a customizable sleep diary, and sleep scores and stats over time for analysis. There are also guided breathing exercises and relaxing ambient noises to help with falling asleep.

Being an AI-powered app, Pillow continues to improve its algorithms for more accurate stage detection. It doesn’t require wearables and offers both free and premium annual subscriptions for advanced insights.

4. Sleep as Android Unlocked

Sleep as Android Unlocked is the premium, unlocked version of the popular Sleep as Android app. It provides everything in the free version plus some powerful exclusive features for in-depth sleep analysis.

Key premium features include advanced sleep stats and reports, smart home integrations to control devices based on sleep, full-featured sleep sounds, and a comprehensive sleep diary. It can also sync data to Google Fit and Apple Health for a complete picture.

The unlocked version is ideal for those wanting the most granular insights, powerful automation capabilities, and long-term sleep tracking in one highly customizable Android app.

5. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock is another popular choice focusing on sleep cycle tracking and smart alarm features. Using your movements, it estimates sleep stages throughout the night and wakes you with a smart alarm during light sleep.

The app provides sleep period summaries along with stats on sleep cycles, average time to fall asleep and sleep efficiency over time. It can log snoring episodes as well. Plus, it offers relaxing nature sounds and an optional relaxation mode to aid your pre-sleep routine.

While rather basic, Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock excels at its core functions and is easy to understand for everyday sleep monitoring needs.

Conclusion

Each app highlighted here brings something unique to effectively monitor and optimize your shut-eye. Choosing the right one depends on your specific tracking needs and budget. However, for full-featured yet easy-to-use options, we recommend Sleep Cycle, Sleep as Android Unlocked and Sleep as Android Pro as some of the best Android apps for comprehensive sleep monitoring.

Tracking your sleep with such apps is a science-backed way to boost overall wellness. Use the insights to make positive changes to your pre-sleep routine, bedtime habits, environment and daytime energy levels for better quality sleep each night.

With the right app and commitment to your sleep health, you’ll be well on your way to feeling more rested, energized and productive every single day. Take the first step by downloading one of these trackers today.