iPhone app: Sleep Cycle

Sleep Cycle is one of the best selling iPhone apps at the moment. You put it on your mattress at night and it will record your sleep patterns.

I am aware that it is not completely accurate (apparently) but I am still fascinated with it. I use it every night and the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning, even when I'm still groggy, is check my sleep chart!

Here are some examples (you can email these sleep charts).

And on this night I seem to have slept better:

It monitors your movement in bed (apparently we move differently according to the sleep phase we are in). It has an alarm function that will wake you up in your lightest sleep phase within a half hour time frame (so if you need to be up by 7:15, it will go off anytime between 6:45-7:15).

The alarm sounds are soothing - no more hideous beeps - but it doesn't have a snooze function (yet?) so I need to set a second alarm if I must get up at a certain time. I also wish it would give a weekly summary.

If anything, it records how much sleep you get. And going by these charts, I know why I'm so tired. I usually need 8 hours of sleep and I'm not even getting 7. You know, this app could do with a 'go to bed now!' alarm...