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It used to be that phones would keep you up at night. Today, an Android phone can help you sleep like a baby. Turn your phone into a sleeping aid with the help of these apps and features.

Peaceful Background Noises
Instead of using a fan for background noise, let your Android lull you to sleep. With these apps, you can choose between soothing white noise and the relaxing sounds of nature:

• White Noise - for $1.99, this app provides 40 different natural and ambient sounds, including various rain patterns and ocean waves. Additional features include a shutoff timer and multiple alarm settings. White Noise Lite does not include as many features, but it's free.

• Pure Sleep AmbiScience - another $1.99 app, Pure Sleep offers traditional ambient sounds in addition to Isochronic and Binaural noises. This app also lets you create your own custom programs by layering the tracks included with the app or recording your own.

• Nature Sounds - if you’re a fan of ocean or rainforest noises, get this app. It also comes with a built-in alarm feature so you don’t oversleep.

Automatic Volume Control
If you'd rather fall asleep to your favorite tunes, download an app that gradually turns the volume down as you start to sleep.

The free Bedphones Music Controller app works well, especially with the physical "Bedphones" from the same company. Choose from the following three modes when using the Bedphones app:

• Smart Mode - this mode "senses" you've fallen asleep by detecting your movements and turns the music off.

• Timer Mode - this mode slowly reduces the volume as the timer counts down.

• Basic Mode - this mode turns your entire screen into one, big play/pause button so that it is clearly visible in the dark.

A Gentle Alarm Clock and Sleep Tracker
Smart Alarm Clock is a free Android app that monitors your sleep cycles and wakes you up at the best time based on your movements throughout the night. When it detects that you’ve completed your last dream cycle, a gentle alarm will start ringing. If you're curious, it also displays a graph of your sleep history with peaks and valleys that illustrate your individual sleep patterns.

If you want to know even more about what's going on while you're sleeping, Sleep Bot Tracker is a free app that provides even more details to satisfy your curiosity. Features include:

• Graphs - graphic images of your sleep trends including patterns, average length, sleep and wake times, and sleep debt.

• Easy Check In - a single click activates and deactivates this app.

• Feature-packed Alarm - integrates with your ringtones, multiple volume settings and multiple alarms.

• Notes - add your own notes about your sleep patterns.

• Localized - supports six different languages.

Meditation and Brainwave Therapy
If you'd like to approach sleep scientifically, try one of these apps:

• Music Therapy for Sound Sleep - a free app, this program uses Alpha waves to induce a deep sleep. It also has a sound mixer to create your own sounds.

• Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson - if you've always wanted to learn how to meditate, but you weren't sure where to start, Andrew Johnson provides guided meditation for sleep via this $2.99 app.

• Restful Sleep Deluxe Edition - this free app teaches self-meditation as a cure for chronic insomnia.

• Sonic Sleep Brainwave Audio - expensive for an app at $4.99, Sonic Sleep uses proprietary technology to tap into natural brainwaves to combat poor sleep cycles.

Sleep as Android: Cute Name for the Quintessential App!
This app is worth trying for its name alone! Although it's not free, you get a generous evaluation period before you have to pay the fee to keep it. This app does do one thing that the rest don't: If you're really into Facebook, it gives you the option of posting your sleep patterns to everyone's favorite social network!
Here is a list of other features included with Sleep as Android:

• Records sleep modes

• Calculates sleep debt

• Records your noises

• Alarm clock

Image source: Sleep as Android