Meditation app “Calm” can now read you to sleep with grown up bedtime stories

The Calm app - known for helping people relax on a daily basis - has a new feature to help you fall asleep.
We all know how important it is to wind down at the end of a busy day. If you have kids, you know that bedtime stories are a vital part of the process. Now an app which is known for helping you relax is helping you fall asleep, too.

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Recently, I met up with Michael Acton Smith. He's the co-founder and co-CEO of Calm, a meditation app on Android and iOS already used by 8 million people to relax.

"There’s so much baggage around the word meditation, I think people assume it’s spiritual and woo-woo. We're more interested in the neuroscience than the incense of meditation," explained Acton Smith in a room at the vintage chic restored Hotel Normandie in Los Angeles.

Now, in addition to the calming landscapes and soothing sound effects the app normally offers, there is a new feature called Sleep Stories.

"They’re anything from 10 minutes to an hour long - there’s a little bit of music, a few breathing exercises and people rarely get to the end of them," said Acton Smith.

Some are read by familiar voices like Ben Stein. There are even a handful for kids!

Calm worked with a clinical psychologist to engineer the stories to help you drift off.

"Our stories start interesting - then they get gently more sleep inducing until you fall asleep," said Action Smith.

The app features a selection of stories you can access for free but to unlock everything - including a daily meditation - subscriptions run as low as $5 dollars a month.

"The science shows so many positive impacts on one’s life from helping us sleep better to improving our attention, focus, creativity, lowering blood pressure," explained Acton Smith.

If you want to give it a try, use the link below to access a free 30-day trial of everything the app offers. There is no credit card necessary to sign up.

https://www.calm.com/richontech