[If you like this post, check out Anthony's earlier Task Blog post, "My iPhone's Putting Me to Sleep."]
Sometimes, there’s no better source of motivation than a new toy. Sure, some people buy new iPods and workout clothes and never go running, or buy a new guitar and never play it, but the toy I’m talking about is a little bit different: it’s an iPhone app called Sleep Cycle.
Sleep Cycle uses the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer to detect movement while you’re sleeping, so it can wake you up during the lightest part of your sleep cycle (within half an hour of when you set your alarm, anyway). This is supposed to be as refreshing as waking up without an alarm.
Here’s how Sleep Cycle works: Just turn on the app, set the alarm, and put your phone upside down on the corner of your mattress. Fortunately, the alarm sounds are all more pleasant than anything that comes standard on the iPhone (my favorite is an adaptation of Erik Satie’s famous piano compositions, the Gymnopédies), and they’re not too startling, even at full volume.
Although Sleep Cycle can be tricky to set up, there’s a test mode, where the app makes a sound every time your phone moves. It only took me about two minutes to set up. I definitely recommend plugging your phone in while Sleep Cycle is running, because it drains a lot of battery overnight, and you don’t want to wake up to a dead phone.
Does Sleep Cycle actually work? I have no idea! At the very least, though, it’s a powerful placebo effect. I’ve slept on a regular schedule for the past week, largely because I was excited about using Sleep Cycle. It’s hard to say whether I feel better because I’ve been sleeping regularly, or because Sleep Cycle really does wake me up at the perfect time. Regardless, the positive effects are there, and sleeping at consistent hours has given structure to my entire week.
Plus, it’s fun to wake up in the morning and look at a graph of your nighttime tossing and turning.
Jay is a freelance writer based in Seattle, WA. He blogs about software for Download Squad and contributes interviews to The Morning News, among others. You can also find him on Twitter.
Photo credit – luchilu
