This Sleep App Helped Me Romanticize My Nighttime Routine

Many sleep experts recommend steering clear of screens before bed. They say the lights and sounds can distract you, but falling asleep without your trusty phone in hand can be just as annoying. This is especially true if you like to scroll as a way to keep your mind off your worries.

If you want to get better sleep, but also don’t want to give up your phone, apps like Loóna can be a big help. Named App of the Year by Google Play in 2020, Loóna was designed to “gently occupy your mind” with soothing games and relaxing music so that it’s easier to fall asleep. In the Apple App Store, it has 4.8 stars and nearly 30,000 ratings.

Instead of texting, scrolling TikTok, or scanning stressful headlines, you can open Loóna and play a game until your eyelids get heavy. There are also sleep stories that’ll lull you into a deep snooze, soundscapes — think crackling fire, crickets, etc. — and a variety of music that matches different moods. Here’s what it was like to give it a try.

Fast Facts

• Price: Free trial, $9/week
• Best for: Relaxing before bed, falling asleep
• My rating: 3.5/5
• What I like: Unique games, soothing sounds, white noise
• What I don't like: Slightly glitchy

What To Know About Loóna

Instead of scrolling until you nod off — and inevitably drop your phone on your face — Loóna encourages you to disconnect from the stresses of the day another way. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean putting your phone away or trying to fall asleep in the dark. With this app, you can still stare at a screen as you settle in for the night.

When you log into Loóna, you can set up your target bedtime and choose the types of sounds you like to listen to: nature, ambient, etc. It asks questions about your sleep patterns, including how long it takes you to fall asleep and what time you typically wake up. If you want, you can get a notification when it’s time for bed and set an alarm to wake you up at a time aligned with your circadian rhythm.

From there, the app suggests soothing sounds, games, and relaxing bedtime stories to help you nod off.

How To Use The App

On the Home tab, you’ll see personalized recommendations or “daily picks” based on what relaxes you most. It might be a short story, a digital coloring game, or a soothing song — and even the colors used for your recs are altered depending on your preferences.

On the Escapes tabs, you’ll find short activities that combine storytelling, games, and sounds. While it’s great to do an escape to make you sleepy before bed, you can also pop in throughout the day and try one if you’re feeling stressed and log them on your Apple Health app.

The Stories tab takes you through immersive narratives that range from 15 to 25 minutes — perfect for listening to as you fall asleep — while the Music tab houses ambient tracks, relaxing tracks, cozy piano melodies, and lo-fi beats.

Trying It Out

After logging into Loóna, I realized it isn’t your typical sleep app that plays cricket sounds from your bedside table. Instead, you’re supposed to actively use it to calm your mind and distract yourself from stressors.

Before bed, I’ve been opening up various Escapes, like one of my faves called “Clear Your Mind” that uses a mix of sound effects, storytelling, and chill games involving a 3D tree.

While a soothing voice talked about mind clutter and daily stress, instructions on the screen told to tap on the image and find certain hidden items, like crystals, candles, and flowers.

At first, it didn’t seem like much, but as I tapped I noticed it scratched my usual pre-bed itch to scroll, though in a much gentler way. The story was also low-stakes, but just distracting enough to keep me interested.

“Right now, you deserve a moment all to yourself to get your thoughts in order,” the soothing voice said. “Next, sweep away these old, shriveled leaves. These are the doubts you do not need.” It felt like part bedtime story, part puzzle, and it was oddly relaxing.

On the nights I wasn’t in the mood to play a game, I’ve been listening to bedtime stories. There’s one about an antique shop that a woman reads in a slow, relaxing voice, and it reminded me a lot of the Calm Sleep Stories. If even that felt like too much, I’d head on over to the Music tab for some ambient tunes.

While there was an assortment of rain sounds, wind noises, and crackling fireplace effects to choose from, I loved Loóna’s unique ambient noise options, like one called “A haunted house.”

It featured creaking wood sound effects and magical noises — something I never thought in a million years would make me feel sleepy, but it did.

The Takeaway

I love that this sleep app is so different from other ones I’ve tried. It combines interesting bedtime stories, easy, interactive games, and whimsical sounds that help you forget about your stress. In only a few minutes, I felt like it had completely shifted my mood from stressed to sleepy.