KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Little known fact: several of the folks behind the scenes of the Fox 4 Morning News (myself included) sleep during the day. As you can imagine, it’s not that easy.
There are quite a few apps out there that will play melodic tones, thunderstorms, ocean waves, etc. Of the ones I’ve tried (in a totally unscientific way), I’ve taken a liking to SleepStream 2.
It’s ridiculously easy to use, and provides several different programs — including an “AutoBlend” feature that mixes the best of them. It also includes something called “Binaural Beats” – supposedly, you can play these while listening through your headphones, and they’ll help you relax or become more energized. I can’t attest to these because I’ve never tried them. but you may find them pretty cool.
The “Overlays” include guided meditations to help you wake up, chill out, or go to sleep. The sleep guide is admittedly a little hokey at times, but, by the time you realize how silly some of it is, you’re asleep. The app also cycles through the programs, so one sleep session won’t be the same as the one last night.
SleepStream 2 comes with visualizations as well (calming forest scenes, exotic beaches, etc.) – pretty to look at, but I’m not sure of the purpose. I’m not holding my iPhone to watch pictures of a forest scroll by while I try to sleep, sorry.
SleepStream 2 is only available for iPods/Phones. The main app itself is free, the “Pro” version is currently $.99 (on sale). No, I can’t immediately tell you what the difference is. It also features things you can purchase within the app (extra sounds, meditations, etc.) but they’re not really necessary.
And now, I’m going to sleep.
