Why use the Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock instead of regular alarm clocks?

Everyone knows that sleep restores the energy expended during the day, and its quality directly affects performance, mood, and health. But the waking phase is just as important. The sleep phase during which the alarm clock rings affects whether it will be easy to wake up and whether you feel rested, which will set a certain working mood for the day.

Why is a Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock better?

Regular alarm clocks, including those built into iOS, wake you up at a specified time, so waking up every morning with them is like a lottery. However, there is an app in the App Store that knows how to wake wisely.

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock uses the high-precision accelerometer built into the iPhone to monitor the sleep phase. The app analyzes sleep movements and picks the best moment to wake up (the iPhone should be lying nearby). In addition, it also keeps statistics so that you can study your sleep charts every morning.

How to set it up

1. The first thing to do is to test the app and find the best place for your iPhone on the bed. It is best if it lies next to the pillow.
2. To select the appropriate position for the device, you need to run the test available in the Test tab.
3. After pressing the Start button, lie on your back in bed and slowly roll over onto your stomach.
4. Then return to the starting position. It is advisable to repeat this action several times.

Each time you move, you should hear the sound made by the app. When you are not moving, the sound should go silent. If it does not, you should continue looking for a suitable location for your iPhone.

How to choose the sound

Next, you need to configure the alarm clock settings in the Settings section. That’s how you can do it.

1. In the Alarm Sound section, select the alarm sound. The application has a set of gentle melodies. You can also use the standard melody of the built-in alarm clock or select any song from your iPod music player.
2. The Snooze section defines the behavior of the alarm after the first ring. The melody can sound once, repeat several times at a set interval, or sound until you are fully awake. The latter option is called Intelligent Snooze.
3. In Advanced settings, you can set the interval during which you should be awakened - from 10 minutes to an hour and a half. You can turn on the vibration if you sometimes do not hear the melody or disable the alarm clock to use the program only to analyze sleep phases.
4. The next step is to set the wake-up time.
5. That's all. You can start the alarm on the Alarm tab.

Additional information

After starting the alarm, the app will display important information (you do not have to sign out of the app or lock your iPhone for it to work). In addition, the device must be on charge all night. After starting the alarm clock, it is enough to put the iPhone on the bed with the screen down and forget about it. Moreover, any call or SMS interrupts the application, so it is best to turn on "On Airplane" mode before starting the alarm clock. Do not put the iPhone under a pillow or blanket. Otherwise, it may overheat.

The Instruction section provides detailed help for the application: it describes how the alarm clock and all its functions work and explains where and how to place the iPhone during sleep.

After using the app for the first time as intended, the section will display graphs of your "sleep" activity and general sleep statistics. The sleep phase graphs can be scrolled left and right.