As a self-proclaimed night owl who has faced countless battles against the early morning grind, I needed a change, so when I bumped into an ad for ‘Pokemon Sleep App’ on Twitter (or ‘X’), I was intrigued.
I know there are plenty of sleep apps out there, but nothing has convinced me to create real changes in my sleep cycle. The majority of sleep apps are serious, scientific and stress-inducing, so something cute and fun is more my vibe. Nothing I've seen has been as familiar and comforting, as well as involving a little bit of game play to make a good and early night of sleep feel rewarding in the moment – emphasis on ‘in the moment’ (more on that later).
The game seems like it was designed for people just like me. Similarly to Pokemon Go, the app cleverly utilises a Pokémon-themed approach embracing the real world, but instead it's to incentivise and improve sleep habits. By placing your device near your pillow, the app tracks your sleep patterns and rewards you with in-game bonuses based on the quality of your rest.
Much like other sleep trackers, Pokemon Sleep measures the several rounds of your sleep cycle (REM, Light, and Deep sleep), but it classifies them as dozing, snoozing and slumbering respectively. It then records any snoring sounds and when you wake up in the morning, it will give you a generous sleep score based on the hours you spend sleeping and based on when you managed to hit the sack. As you wake up, it will then gather Pokemons around your Snorlax to ready to be discovered, that have similar sleeping patterns to you.
Each Pokémon has a number of different sleep styles, so to see how many you can discover you then need complete your sleep style dex, which only takes a couple of minutes in the morning. This is all part of the game-play, but it's pretty limited. This gamified approach adds a pretty unique twist, removing the chore aspect of improving your sleep.
I was also curious about how a game could make me want to sleep more. Usually they do the opposite. It was curiosity that got me hooked. Frankly, I wasn't expecting big things when it came to the Pokémon Sleep App: it first it was givin' a blend of skepticism, then surprise, and a touch of bedtime gaming magic. I was sold.
As someone who doesn't consider themselves a gamer, the gaming element of the Pokémon Sleep App was cool and approachable. Limited game play is a subtle bonus, preventing the app from turning into an addictive distraction. You can feed you Jiggly Puff three times a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), and there are some little bits and bobs to perfect your poke-sleep team who will help you do sleep research. This is of course optimised by the hardest part of the game – sleeping!
Sleep and I have had a complicated relationship for years. Mornings were my nemesis, often leaving me groggy and unproductive for the first few hours of the day, as I navigated a world built for early risers. I'm also the most creative at night, and so my attempts at resetting my internal clock had always been met with resistance, and the monotony of counting sheep seemed futile, so instead of fighting it, I've just embraced late nights.
Granted, I suffered in the mornings, but this is the perfect example of – we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I never care for it in the moment, always regret it in the morning. The fact that I live life cold turkey, as a non-coffee-drinker is truly icing on the cake. It's honestly a mystery how I can eventually function during the day so happily and cheerfully.
The first night brought about a whirlwind of emotions. At 11pm on the dot, I got a notification on my phone that Jiggly Puff (my Poke-sleep partner-in-crime) was getting ready for bed, and so should I. This was my 30 minute alert to make sure I have got myself completely set up for bed by 11:30, and not a minute later. (You get reward points for going to bed on time).
Don't ignore the snore!
By 11:25pm I was ready to click on the ‘sleep’ button. Even that in itself felt like a sense of accomplishment. I usually hit the sack way past midnight, and this meant that I'd get a solid 8 hours sleep, which shamefully, I'm unfamiliar with.
As I lay there, the pressure to fall asleep promptly was intense though. The app records my movements and it will tell me exactly when I fall asleep in the morning report. The next morning, I woke up before my alarm clock, feeling more refreshed than I had previous nights and with a sense of pride. I do think that it was a perhaps a placebo effect though, as the report quickly and boldly then tells me I took an hour and a half to fall asleep – was the app sleep shaming me? Was I the only one who took this long to drift off? I had a lot of questions.
However, as the days turned into nights, I began to notice a shift. The app's approach subtly guided me towards creating a calming bedtime routine. As soon as Jiggly Puff was ready for bed (30 minutes before my indicated bed time) I would scramble to get bedtime ready. The last thing I wanted is to get Jiggly feeling too tired in the morning because I didn't get to bed on time. Surprisingly, it worked. The sleep struggles I'd known for years started to ease, and I welcomed restful nights that left me feeling revitalised in the morning.
There was a couple of nights I had slipped up and I truly felt disappointed. The Pokemons I'd gathered weren't as strong, and I also had less treats to give them. I tapped into my poke-mum era, and I felt like I was letting my poke-babies down.
The app also has a voice recorder, which records sound as soon as it detects snoring and keeps it on the app until your next sleep session. There were nights where many sounds were recorded and others there was none. But I would say this is the main drawback of the app as I never noticed any snoring in the recordings and it was sensitive to other sounds from my open window or my air purifier. Perhaps it was a bug on the app but over the three weeks I tried it, not a single snoring sound was properly recorded to be played back.
Based on exactly when you need to wake up.
I'm also not obsessed with having to sleep with my phone in the bed. It also needs to be charging, and that makes me feel like not only is it a fire hazard, but also means that one small knock and your phone is flying across your bedroom. Either way, I always had the intension of using this app as a short term habit-building technique.
By week two, my late-night tendencies no longer felt like a hindrance, and I had an ally in my quest for restful slumber. Beyond the initial uncertainties, the app's gentle approach to sleep improvement gradually rewired my nighttime habits.
While I may not have caught them all in the traditional Pokémon games, or cards, the Pokémon Sleep App helped me “catch” something even more important — consistent and good-quality sleep. Although I don't think I'll ever stop being a night owl, with time, I truly believe that the early morning life may became less of an adversary to me, and slowly I'm finding myself embracing the day way earlier and with renewed energy.
TikTok content
Plus, the joy of seeing my Pokémons evolve based on the quality of my sleep was oddly rewarding. It was like a tangible badge of honour for my efforts and if easier mornings were not reward enough, this took the cake.
I'm no longer as dependant on the app as I was in the first few days. I think that Jiggly Puff will be just fine in getting his ZZZ's in without me, so I'm more than happy to carry on the routine without having to have the phone by my side, recording my sleep.
Anyways, as I write this last paragraph, it's 10:57pm (a night owl will always be a night owl) and Jiggly Puff is about to send the notification that bed time is approaching, so I best be on my way. Because one thing this app taught me is that in order to truly thrive… I Gotta Catch ‘Em zzz’s… See you in the morning.
For more from Glamour UK Beauty Writer Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona
