A few years ago, I was having trouble sleeping and nothing helped. I spent all day worrying about work and the stress weaseled its way into my sleep. I would wake up every night around 2:00 am, wide awake, thoughts racing through my mind. Eventually, I'd fall back asleep around 5:30, just in time for the alarm to ring at 6:00. This went on for a few months. I tried everything: no coffee after 3:00 pm, no TV an hour before bed – nothing worked. My friend suggested the meditation app Calm.

I was skeptical whether an app could really make a difference, I have so many on my phone, did I really need another one? But I had nothing to lose, so I decided to give it a try. After downloading it from the app store, I saw that Calm offers a 7 day free trial, which unlocks all of it's top features. They have sleep stories read by celebrities like Matthew McConnaughey and Stephen Fry, even a recording of a Bob Ross painting tutorial! I started with the 7 Days of Sleep Meditation plan. After just a few nights, I was falling asleep and actually staying asleep.

I eventually tried some of the other features. Their music section is my favorite. The sounds are super soothing and they range from nature noises, like rainstorms and the beach, to slow piano pieces. So if I ever wake up at 2:00 am, I play Symphony of Rain or Milky Way and I'm out before I know it.

I'm not surprised Calm is the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation. The title of the top review on apple is “Life changing" and that's exactly how I feel. A year of Calm works out at just $5 a month, and you can cancel at any time. If I'm traveling or I'm commuting and I feel stressed or have a headache, I open the app, play one of my downloaded features, and I always feel better after. Yes, there's still stress in my life, but I'm much more capable of dealing with it now.

Update: If you struggle to sleep as I do, then you need to try Calm. Plus, what's there to lose? Sign Up Today to start your free 7-Day trial and save 60% off your yearly subscription!