6 Apps to Help You Sleep Better and Reduce Stress

In 2025, getting a good night’s sleep feels harder than ever. We are constantly surrounded by screens, notifications, and the fast pace of modern life. This constant noise creates stress, which keeps us awake at night. It becomes a cycle: you are too stressed to sleep, and then you are too tired to handle stress the next day.

Ironically, the solution to this technology-caused problem might be more technology. Your smartphone, often the source of distraction, can become a powerful tool for relaxation if you use the right applications. There are hundreds of wellness apps available today, but only a few truly stand out.

We have tested and researched the top options to find the ones that actually work. Here are the 6 best apps to help you lower your stress levels and get the deep, restful sleep you deserve.

1. Calm: The Best for Stories and Relaxation

If you have trouble “turning off” your brain at night, Calm is likely the best choice for you. It is one of the most famous wellness apps in the world, and for good reason. While many apps focus on teaching you skills, Calm focuses on changing your environment and mood instantly.

Why It Is Special

The most unique feature of Calm is its “Sleep Stories.” These are not just audiobooks; they are bedtime stories designed specifically for adults. They start with a normal rhythm and slowly become quieter and slower to lull you to sleep.

• Celebrity Voices: You can listen to stories read by famous actors like Matthew McConaughey, Cillian Murphy, or Harry Styles. Hearing a familiar, soothing voice can be incredibly comforting when you feel anxious.
• Soundscapes: If you prefer noise over voices, Calm has a massive library of nature sounds, like “Heavy Rain on a Tent” or “Mountain River.”
• Daily Calm: For daytime stress, there is a 10-minute daily meditation that discusses a specific life theme, helping you reset your focus before work.

Who Should Use It?

Calm is perfect for people who don’t want to “study” meditation. It is for anyone who just wants to press a button and feel better. It costs around $69.99 per year, but they offer a free trial to test it out.

2. Headspace: The Best for Learning Mindfulness

While Calm is about relaxation, Headspace is about education. It teaches you how to handle stress so it doesn’t bother you as much in the future. It uses friendly animations and simple language to explain complex mental concepts.

Key Features for 2025

Headspace has evolved beyond just sitting quietly. It now includes features for every part of your day.

• The “Wake Up”: Start your morning with short, inspiring videos that give you a positive mindset before you even check your email.
• Sleepcasts: Unlike normal stories, these are audio tours of imaginary places (like a slow train or a dusty antique shop). The interesting part is that the details change slightly every night, so your brain doesn’t get bored, but it also doesn’t stay too alert.
• Move Mode: Stress often lives in the body. Headspace includes light workout videos and yoga to help you release physical tension without needing a gym membership.

Who Is It For?

If you are a beginner who doesn’t know how to meditate, Headspace is the best teacher. It is structured and easy to follow. The annual plan is similar in price to Calm, but they also offer a cheaper monthly option for students.

3. BetterSleep: The Best for Custom Sound

Some people need total silence to sleep, while others need the sound of a fan or white noise. BetterSleep (formerly known as Relax Melodies) puts you in complete control of your sonic environment. It is like being a DJ, but for your bedroom.

Create Your Own Mix

Most apps give you a track called “Rain.” BetterSleep lets you build your own track. You can combine “Rain on Roof” with “Distant Thunder,” add a little bit of “Flute Music,” and top it off with “White Noise.” You can adjust the volume of each sound individually until it is perfect for your ears.

Smart Technology

• Sleep Tracking: You don’t need a fancy watch to track your rest. BetterSleep uses your phone’s microphone to listen to your breathing and movement. In the morning, it gives you a score showing how well you slept.
• Chronotype Analysis: The app helps you figure out if you are a “Night Owl” or an “Early Bird” (your chronotype). Knowing this helps you plan your day better to avoid fatigue.

Who Is It For?

This is the best app for people who are sensitive to noise. If you find that narrators’ voices are distracting, or if standard music tracks are too loud, BetterSleep allows you to fix those problems yourself.

4. Insight Timer: The Best Free Option

Wellness shouldn’t be expensive. Insight Timer is unique because it offers the largest library of free content in the world. While other apps lock their best features behind a paywall, Insight Timer gives away thousands of meditations for free.

A Community of Teachers

Instead of having one voice guide you, Insight Timer is a platform for thousands of teachers, psychologists, and musicians from around the globe.

• Variety: You can find a 5-minute breathing exercise for panic attacks, a 30-minute Yoga Nidra session for deep sleep, or hours of ambient music.
• Live Events: You can join live meditation sessions with other users. Seeing that 20,000 other people are meditating with you at the same time can make you feel less lonely and more connected.
• The Timer: As the name suggests, it has a wonderful customizable timer. You can set it to ring a soft bell every 5 minutes to keep you focused during silent meditation.

Who Is It For?

If you are on a budget, this is the #1 choice. It has more free content than the paid versions of other apps. It is also great for advanced users who want to explore different styles of mindfulness, from Vipassana to Zen.

5. Sleep Cycle: The Best for Waking Up

Sometimes the problem isn’t falling asleep; it is waking up. We all know the feeling of being jolted awake by a loud alarm clock while we were in the middle of a deep dream. It leaves you feeling groggy and stressed all morning. Sleep Cycle fixes this.

The Smart Alarm

This app tracks your sleep patterns using sound analysis. It knows when you are in “Deep Sleep” and when you are in “Light Sleep.”

• How it works: You set a 30-minute window for when you want to wake up (for example, between 7:00 AM and 7:30 AM). The app waits until you are in your lightest sleep phase within that window and wakes you up gently. This makes waking up feel natural, like you just opened your eyes on your own.

Data and Trends

Sleep Cycle creates detailed graphs of your night. It can even tell you if the weather or your daily steps affected your sleep quality. It also has a “Snore Recorder” that tells you if you were snoring (or if your partner was!).

Who Is It For?

This is essential for people who hate mornings. If you constantly hit the snooze button or feel “brain fog” until noon, Sleep Cycle can change your entire day.

6. Happier: The Best for Skeptics

Formerly known as “Ten Percent Happier,” this app is designed for people who think meditation is “too weird” or “too spiritual.” It was created by Dan Harris, a news anchor who had a panic attack on live TV and decided to find a way to handle stress that was backed by science.

No-Nonsense Approach

Happier focuses on practical, simple mental training. The teachers talk like normal people, not like gurus.

• Journaling: It has features to help you track your mood and gratitude, but without the pressure to be perfect.
• Specific Problems: It has courses for very specific real-life stressors, like “Dealing with a Difficult Boss,” “Parenting Stress,” or “Political Anxiety.”
• Video Lessons: Many sessions start with a short video where Dan interviews a scientist or teacher, explaining why the technique works before you do it.

Who Is It For?

If you roll your eyes when you hear words like “chakra” or “energy,” this is the app for you. It is grounded, realistic, and incredibly helpful for reducing work-related anxiety.

Tips for Success

Downloading these apps is just the first step. To actually sleep better and reduce stress, you need to use them correctly. Here are a few final tips to get the most out of your new digital tools.

Use “Do Not Disturb” Mode It is counterproductive to use a relaxation app if a text message pops up in the middle of your session. Always turn on “Do Not Disturb” or “Sleep Focus” mode on your phone before you open these apps.

Be Consistent You wouldn’t go to the gym once and expect to have big muscles. The brain is the same. Using Headspace or Calm for 10 minutes every day is much better than using it for one hour once a month. Try to make it a tiny habit, like brushing your teeth.

Don’t Force It If you try a sleep story and you are still awake after 20 minutes, don’t get angry. Getting angry will only wake you up more. Just accept that you are awake, maybe switch to a different sound, and focus on resting your body even if your mind is active.

Combine with Offline Habits These apps work best when you help them. Try to avoid caffeine after lunch, keep your bedroom cool, and put away your work laptop at least an hour before bed. The app is the final piece of the puzzle, not the whole solution.

By integrating one or two of these apps into your nightly routine, you can retrain your brain to let go of stress and embrace the rest you need. Sweet dreams!