With the mercury beginning to drop and darker nights settling in, it’s now more important than ever to check in on your wellness ahead of winter. It’s no secret that, with the lower levels of the sunlight’s vitamin D, it can be hard to stay chirpy during colder climes. But it needn’t stay that way, as there are plenty of easy wins and wellness hacks that you can deploy to keep you chipper up to Christmas (and beyond). Below, we’ve scoured the internet for a trio of the best wellness-focused apps for you to download and get a jump on your healthy winter.
Headspace
One of the most popular apps for mental health, Heath Space is a subscription-driven app that uses science-backed meditation and mindfulness tools. The app is designed to create “life-changing” habits that support your mental health, reduce stress, improve focus and, crucially, help you sleep better. What’s more, it’s been proven to reduce stress by 14% in just 10 days. With over 70 million members across 190 countries, you’ll be in great company.
Sleepcycle
An unfortunate symptom of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is ‘winter insomnia’. The result of reduced daylight exposure in humans, it can be hard to counter. This year, take Sleepcycle for a whirl and discover how you can track your sleep to find your perfect ‘wake-up window’ and secure that evasive seven to nine hours of sleep we require each night. By tracking your sleep, Sleepcycle uses machine learning algorithms to help you understand your sleep data and offers bite-size tips on improving your rest and recovery. It’s so easy, you could do it with your eyes closed.
Calm
The #1 app for meditation, Calm comes with a goal to “help you improve your health and happiness.” Specifically, this involves improving sleep quality, reducing stress and anxiety, improving focus and working on self-improvement. Within the app, you can learn meditation, discover relaxing music, watch follow-along video lessons on stretching and mindful movement and listen to audio programs led by world-leading mindfulness experts.
