Backed by research designed to help NASA astronauts snooze, Sleep Genius is a free app that's worth a download, according to CIO.com blogger James A. Martin. But you'll need to buy the premium version to get much use out of the app. I’m high maintenance when it comes to sleep. I use earplugs. I turn on a white noise machine. I wear an eye mask. Sonata is my friend. And that’s on a good night. In other words, I’m a perfect test case for an app like Sleep Genius. The Android and iOS apps, which were recently updated with new features, are billed as “the world’s most scientifically advanced sleep apps.” The developer (Sleep Genius LLC) claims its research helped “NASA get astronauts to sleep.” (Sleep Genius also runs on Samsung’s Gear 2 smartwatch and Gear Fit activity tracker/watch). “Neurosensory algorithms” are put to work to “help your brain get ready for sleep, guide your brain through each stage in the sleep cycle, and wake you with a gentle, refreshing alarm,” according to the description of Sleep Genius in the App Store. Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s marketing. But I can say that Sleep Genius helped me to some degree. I like the soft, soporific music that lulls you to sleep, which you can play continuously or turn off automatically via a timer. And I appreciate the gentle, five-minute alarm that gradually wakes you up. The app is easy to use, too — simple and straightforward. The app is free, but you need to pay the $5 upgrade fee to get the most out of Sleep Genius. Without the upgrade, you don’t get the three different revive cycle alarms, the power nap feature (love that!), sleep tracking/reporting, personalized feedback or other goodies. I recommend giving the free app a try, but because it’s pretty basic, you should be prepared to pony up the five bucks. Overall, Sleep Genius is worth trying — though I’m not convinced the gentle music is more conducive to my sleep than white noise. Then again, I have room to improve in the sleep department, so I plan to continue my Sleep Genius experiments. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Palo Alto Networks x Accenture Making sense of zero trust - why a managed SASE solution is the ideal option for enterprises Security leaders are turning to SASE as their preferred network security solution amid a new era of cloud-powered businesses working from anywhere. By CIO Contributor Nov 28, 2023 4 mins Network Security feature 8 tips for unleashing the power of unstructured data For most organizations, data in the form of text, video, audio, and other formats is plentiful but remains untapped. Here’s how to unlock business value from this overlooked data trove. By Bob Violino Nov 28, 2023 10 mins Data Mining Data Science Data Management opinion What you don’t know about data management could kill your business Organizations without a solid data management strategy are on a collision course with catastrophe. Unfortunately, that’s most businesses, judging by the fundamental disconnect on the importance of strong data foundations. By Thornton May Nov 28, 2023 6 mins Data Architecture Data Governance Master Data Management brandpost Sponsored by Dell Technologies and Intel® Gen AI without the risks Demystifying generative AI: Practical tips for cost-effective deployment in your organization. By Andy Morris, Enterprise AI Strategy Lead at Intel Nov 27, 2023 6 mins Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe