Humbly, I’m good at a few things: writing (I think), being able to identify songs within seconds of them beginning, stack cup, and cheffin’ up the best spicy rigatoni you’ve had in your life. But if there’s one thing I suck at, it’s sleeping. Most nights, I dread falling asleep because I’m so bad at it. I spend hours tossing and turning in my bed — my mind going a mile a minute — before eventually falling asleep to an old, chaotic Tana Mongeau vlog. And when my alarm goes off in the morning, it doesn’t even feel like I slept. So, when I had the opportunity to try Calm Sleep, I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.
Released on Sept. 16, Calm Sleep is a new standalone app that provides “deeper, more personalized sleep support” to help people wind down, fall asleep, and wake up rested and ready to take on the day. While the OG Calm app focuses on meditation, reducing stress, mindfulness, and improving sleep, Calm Sleep’s entire focus is on helping you catch some zzz’s with new features like personalized sleep plans, soundscapes, and even tasks you can complete throughout your day to help you achieve better sleep at night. Priced at $69.99/year, Calm Sleep also offers new Sleep Stories from beloved radio host Delilah, actor Andrew Scott, and more, alongside an existing library of over 300 hours of sleep content and 500 Sleep Stories.
Along with the release of Calm Sleep, Calm is launching several sleep-specific products and experiences — like Calm’s first-ever bedding collection (exclusively available at Target in December), Calm x Ozlo Sleepbuds®, and The World’s Sleepiest Room by Calm at the Tempo by Hilton in Times Square. “Bedtime should be revered, not feared,” said Greg Justice, Chief Content Officer at Calm, in a Sept. 16 press release. “That’s why we’re not only launching a dedicated sleep app, but also rolling out a range of delightful, sleep-specific physical products and experiences. We want to enable a bedtime routine people can’t wait to come back to each night.”
As an anxious person who, as we established, sleeps pretty terribly, I’m always in the market for new hacks to help me get my rest. And while things like magnesium supplements, reiki, and “sleepy girl mocktails” have definitely aided me in my sleep journey, I wanted to see if Calm Sleep could become another tool in my nighttime routine. And, spoiler alert: It totally is.
So, I tried Calm Sleep for myself
Upon downloading Calm Sleep, I was greeted with a short questionnaire about my sleep space, exercise habits, stress levels, mental clarity, screen usage, and content preferences (choosing from options including guided meditations, Sleep Stories, ambient noise, and more). From there, Calm Sleep built a custom plan for me with tasks, meditations, and tips to help me get my rest.
I went about my day as I usually do — going to work, taking my lunch break to walk outside, and going for a run once I clocked out — while incorporating Calm Sleep’s tasks like stretching, putting my phone on Do Not Disturb, reading my book, and squeezing in a meditation when I could. Honestly, feeling the need to complete every task added the tiniest bit more stress to my day — but that just tells me I need to work on my time management skills.
After having a delicious dinner of shrimp tacos and watching several episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation with my partner, it was time to head to bed. I did my skincare routine, nightly reiki, and breathing exercises before getting under the sheets, but I still felt awake and buzzing — probably because I drank pre-workout before my post-work run, so the caffeine still hadn’t worn off yet. My bad.
As my partner fell asleep within seconds, I opened the Calm Sleep app and slid up the “Ready for bed?” bar. Based on my initial questionnaire, the app populated a mix of meditations, Sleep Stories, and soundscapes for me to fall asleep to. I started out with the guided meditation, which definitely helped me relax, but didn’t do the job of getting me to fall asleep completely. However, once the meditation was over, I played the recommended Sleep Story, which was about yurts. Sure enough, that sh*t had me snoring within the first minute.
When I woke up, I definitely felt more rested than usual. While I hadn’t fallen asleep instantly, I did find it much easier (and quicker) thanks to the meditation and Sleep Story. Upon opening the app, I was prompted with questions about my night — how I slept, what worked, what didn’t, etc. — which created an improved plan to follow the next day.
This time, I was mindful to make time for the planned tasks, since I knew what I was expecting, and found it much easier and less stressful to complete them. (OK, time management!) And, at night, I got under the covers, actually ready for sleep. I skipped out on the meditation and went straight for a Sleep Story narrated by Harry Styles — which put me out instantly.
Overall, I would say Calm Sleep was a definite asset to my nighttime routine. Once I knew what my daily tasks were, as well as the audio type that worked for me, unwinding and falling asleep came much easier to me. And sure, things like my special sleepy drink and a 10-minute self-reiki session definitely aided in that, but Calm Sleep’s personalized plan went the extra mile. And honestly? It makes me excited to fall asleep from here on out.