Did you know your Alexa device is more than just a smart assistant for weather updates and music? It’s also equipped with a range of features designed to help you achieve a better night’s sleep. While numerous meditation and sleep apps are available for your smartphone, turning your Alexa device or speaker into a sleep aid is a convenient and increasingly popular option.
But how exactly can Amazon’s Alexa help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer? Beyond the basic functions, Alexa boasts a collection of sleep skills that can transform your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary. These skills include playing soothing ambient sounds like rain or ocean waves, guiding you through calming meditations, and even reading you a relaxing bedtime story.
Let’s delve into some of the best Alexa sleep skills available and learn how to activate them on your device to enhance your sleep routine.
Top Alexa Sleep Skills to Enhance Your Bedtime Routine
Position your Alexa device near your bed and prepare to unwind with these helpful sleep skills. You can easily add these skills through the Alexa app on your smartphone. Simply open the app, tap “More,” then select “Skills & Games.” Use the search icon to find “sleep” and explore the various tools you can add to your Alexa’s repertoire. If you’re unsure where to begin, we’ve curated some of the most effective options below.
Most of these sleep skills are designed to play throughout the night unless you manually stop them by saying, “Alexa, stop.” However, for added convenience, you can set a sleep timer to automatically shut them off. After starting your chosen sleep skill, simply say, “Alexa, set a sleep timer for one hour” or any duration you prefer.
A person selecting Alexa sleep skills on a mobile phone, highlighting the ease of use and accessibility of these features.
Immerse Yourself in Relaxing Sleep Sounds
The Sleep Sounds skill functions similarly to a white noise machine, creating a calming soundscape to help you relax and drift off to sleep. It’s excellent for masking disruptive noises from outside, such as traffic or noisy neighbors, or even sounds within your home.
To use this skill, start by saying, “Alexa, open Sleep Sounds.” Alexa will then ask you to choose a sound to play continuously. Many users find the thunderstorm sound particularly soothing. To explore the full range of available sounds, say, “Alexa, ask Sleep Sounds for a list.” Alexa will verbally list the options and also send a comprehensive list to your Alexa smartphone app. The chosen sound will play continuously, but you can set a timer to stop it automatically by saying, for example, “Alexa, stop in four hours.”
Create a Gentle Ambiance with Night Light
The Night Light skill isn’t just for children; it’s perfect for anyone who prefers a softly lit room for sleep. If complete darkness makes you uneasy, or if you need a subtle light for nighttime navigation, Night Light is a helpful tool. It’s particularly useful when getting up during the night to care for a baby or use the restroom.
To activate Night Light, simply say, “Alexa, open night light.” You can also turn it on or off remotely using your smartphone app. For timed illumination, you can say, “Alexa, open night light for ten minutes,” or specify any duration you need.
Alexa device emitting a soft night light glow, illustrating the gentle illumination provided by this sleep skill.
Find Tranquility with Sweet Dreams Meditations and Music
The Sweet Dreams skill offers a combination of calming sleep music and guided meditations to promote relaxation and sleep. Meditation is a proven method for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, all of which can significantly improve your ability to fall asleep quickly and enjoy restful sleep.
To begin, say, “Alexa, open Sweet Dreams.” You’ll be prompted to choose between “Sound” or “Meditation.” Alternatively, you can directly select from a variety of sounds within the app, including rain, surf, stream, forest, canyon, desert, and brook. The meditation options include “falling asleep,” “soften and relax,” “breathing in waves,” and “review the day.” You can customize your experience by saying commands like, “Alexa, ask Sweet Dreams to play Rain for 1 hour,” or “Alexa, ask Sweet Dreams to play Falling Asleep.”
A person meditating with calming sounds, representing the stress-reducing benefits of meditation for sleep improvement.
Unwind with a Guided Sleep w/me Meditation
The Sleep w/me skill provides another avenue for guided meditation, specifically designed to help you relax and prepare for sleep. This skill features a single, 18-minute meditation that has garnered positive feedback from users who find it effective for pre-bedtime relaxation.
To start, say, “Alexa, start sleep meditation.” The skill will guide you through a series of steps intended to help you unwind and calm your mind before sleep.
Close-up of an Alexa device with a calming blue light, suggesting the relaxing atmosphere created for sleep meditation.
Deep Relaxation with Yoga Nidra for Sleep
Yoga Nidra, a state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep, is similar to the hypnagogic state experienced as you drift off. It has long been practiced as a technique for deep relaxation and meditation. The Yoga Nidra For Sleep skill brings this practice to your Alexa device.
To access it, say, “Alexa, open Yoga Nidra Meditation.” The skill will guide you through a 20-minute Yoga Nidra session, ideal for using just before bed or during your wind-down routine.
A serene bedroom setting with soft lighting, representing the peacefulness associated with Yoga Nidra practice for sleep.
Escape into Dreamland with Sleep Tales
Bedtime stories aren’t just for kids; they can be incredibly soothing for adults too. The Sleep Tales skill combines relaxing ambient sounds with gentle storytelling to help you relax and ease into sleep. The skill offers both free and paid options, with premium members gaining access to a wider variety of stories.
To try it, say, “Alexa, open sleep tales.” You can choose to play a random story, or select from the tales available on the free version, such as Beauty and the Beast, Robinson Crusoe, Amboseli, A Day on the Bay, and The Velveteen Rabbit. You can also directly request a specific story by saying, “Alexa, open sleep tales and play Beauty and the Beast.”
A book with a softly glowing light, symbolizing the enchanting and relaxing nature of bedtime stories for sleep.
Drift Off to Dreamy Sleep Stories
Sleep stories offers another excellent skill for bedtime narratives designed to lull you to sleep. Like Sleep Tales, it offers both free and premium content, with premium stories often narrated by professional actors for an enhanced listening experience.
To use it, simply say, “Alexa, play Sleep Stories.” Alexa will begin playing a story at random. If you wish to skip to a different story, you can say, “Alexa, ask Sleep Stories to play the next story.”
