GOOD SLEEP PRO – HELP
START SCREEN OPTIONS
Continuous Sound
This choice will play steady noise of your choice. Choose from 22 varieties and set a sleep timer if desired.
Transitioned Sleep
This module will play a perfected sequence of noises, for a total of about 9 hours. Options here: Scientific Colors or Weather/Nature. Both options begin with 20 minutes of ‘Go-to-Sleep’ pink noise.
Cycled Sleep
This choice will give you the full night pink noise prodding, synced to a normal night of sleep cycles and stages. Options here are wave strengths of: Low, Medium, High.
Mid-Nite Wake
A common pattern of waking up mid-nite, usually around 3 AM. Sleep issue options include: Busy Mind, Environmental Noise, Light Sleep Wake-up, Early Morning Alertness, Too Quiet – Silence. You also have the option to set the sleep timer.
Best Wake Times
View preferred wake up times, based on going to sleep right now. The times are based on probable completion of a cycle, so that you don’t interrupt a cycle in the middle of a needed stage. So, the idea here is to change your going to bed time, so that your wake up time will land in one of the ‘good’ zones.
Wearable Tracking
There are many devices on the market nowdays. You can keep a record of your sleep scores and more. Fields to record include: Sleep Score, Total Sleep Time, Light Time, Deep Time, REM Time, and save a note.
MENU OPTIONS
Tap the 3 dots, upper right, to view options.
Noise Types
View descriptions for the noises included in the app.
Sleep Cycles
View short descriptions of sleep cycles and stages
Settings
Toggle on/off a confirmation dialog for stopping play in pages: Transitioned Sleep and Cycled Sleep.
About App
View Version, Citations, Disclaimer, and Privacy Policy
SLEEP STAGES
Sleep as we know it, goes through cycles during the night. In each cycle are stages. We will briefly discuss them here. For more detailed informaion, refer to the citations at page bottom.
Cycles
Cycle lengths are about 90 minutes long, with each subsequent cycle getting a little longer thru the night. So, for a standard 8 hour sleep, you go through about 4-6 cycles. Not counting awake, there are are 2 classes of stages per cycle. 1) Non-REM and 2) REM
Stages
The first cycle stages are the 3 non-REM stages, N1, N2, N3.
Stage N1
Very light sleep, easily wakened, getting drowsy. Brain produces ‘Theta’ waves.
Stage N2
Light sleep, heart rate slowing, body temperature drops. This stage comprises about 40% to 60% of adult sleep time.
Stage N3
Known as the deep or Slow-Wave sleep, harder to awaken. Body does a lot of repairing and energy regeneration. Time in this stage shortenes during the latter cycles, as REM increases.
Stage REM
REM = Rapid Eye Movement. Brain becomes more active. Stage becomes longer thru the night. Dreams occur.
BRAIN WAVES
Each stage has a purpose, and each stage has characteristic brain wave patterns as noted on an EEG.
The frequencies are listed here (HZ):
N1: 8 – 12
N2: 4 – 8
N3: 1 – 4
REM: 15 – 30
App module ‘Cycled Sleep’ mimics these frequencies through volume pulses. The pulses are mostly very subtle with a few of them produced as energy wake up pulses toward the end of the sleep period.
Our own, in-house test with a Fitbit, showed improvement in sleep scores using this module.
QUANTITY AND QUALITY
The body has its own natural drives for the various stages and how much it ‘wants’. However, there are outside factors that can affect the quality and quantity of the sleep stages.
Deep Sleep (N3)
The body gets most of the deep sleep up front in the first cycles, then after that goes into REM and light sleep (N2).
The two main factors that can lead to less deep sleep are:
1. Age: Deep sleep time reduces as people get older
2. Interference: Pain, medical problems, sleep apnea, sleep disorders
REM
It has been noted that too much or little of this stage can affect how you feel during the day. The so called ‘night owl’ person can tend to get more REM than the ‘early to bed’ person.
Too Little: Feel groggy, difficult to focus, memory issues. Medications can cause this, especially anti-depressants.
Too Much: More than 25% total for the night can cause increased brain activation and being angry and irritable, possible leading to symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Factors
Sleep is also affected by exercise, stress, temperature, light, chemicals, alcohol, irregular schedules.
Alcohol
Alcohol before sleep tends to suppress the early cycle REM stages with a rebound later in the night as the alcohol is metabolized. More frequent awakening also occurs.
Stress and Anxiety
These 2 bad boys make it more difficult to fall asleep and the sleep tends to be lighter with less deep and more REM sleep.
Chemicals
The most common culprits here are caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, antihistamines, anti-depressants, beta and alpha blockers.
Beta Blockers
Linked to decreased REM and deep sleep, leading to daytime sleepiness.
Alpha Blockers
Linked to decreased REM and daytime sleepiness.
Anti-Depressants
Decreased duration of REM and some (SSRI) can lead to insomnia.
Cold Temperatures
Decreased or total absence of REM (very cold).
Aging
Unfortunately, as we get older, our time in deep sleep seems to lessen and we spend more time in N2. In this stage, it is easy to awaken, and may account for the frequency of nighttime awakenings.
Cycled Sleep Module Theory
The design of this module is to promote the normal and youthful pattern of sleep, utilizing subtle volume pulses, thus prodding and hopefully counteracting outside interference with your good sleep cycles.
OUR FITBIT TEST
We think it is very cool to interact with available technology for the evaluation of sleep. There are many wearables now that can evaluate sleep quality. We tried a Fitbit Charge 4 and show here a screenshot from the Fitbit app.
You can use a wearable to follow your sleep score and other parameters, while exploring and using the various modules in our app.
Note: We are not affiliated with Fitbit in any way.
CITATIONS
Sleep and Its 4 Stages
Source: Cleveland Clinic
About sleep
Source: CDC
Sleep
Source: Wikipedia
Normal Sleep Cycle
Source: Sleep Foundation
DISCLAIMER
This app provides ambient noise and soundscapes intended to support relaxation and improve sleep environments. It is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition, including sleep disorders such as insomnia or sleep apnea. Individual responses to sound may vary, and users should adjust volume to a comfortable and safe level to avoid potential hearing discomfort. Do not use this app while driving or performing tasks that require full attention. If you experience persistent sleep difficulties or health concerns, consult a qualified healthcare professional.
PRIVACY
This app does not collect nor share data of any kind. Simple as that.