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I can’t sleep without white noise. When I’m at home, this noise comes from a Dyson fan. The constant and gentle hiss of this fan is the perfect soundscape to help those swarms of angels sing me to my calm.
But when I travel (or sleep outside of the bedroom) I don’t have that fan with me, and without that white noise there’s no sleep (not even as far as Brooklyn). What is there to do?
Well, if you happen to have an Android phone, there’s a built-in tool ready to help your sleep time.
Also: This hidden iPhone feature can help you fall asleep faster
Let me show you how to use this handy feature.
How to Access Sleep Sounds Requirements
The only thing you need is an Android phone. The feature was added somewhere around Android 10, which most new (and new) phones support. That’s it. Let us begin.
Because different versions of Android and different manufacturers tend to put configuration options in different places, if you can’t find Bedtime in the Clock app, check Digital Wellbeing first. You can also open Settings and type Bedtime in the search box to find the feature.
If you find that your version of Android doesn’t come with a bedtime mode, you can always install an app from the Google Play Store (e.g. White Noise Lite) to get a similar experience.
The Sleep Sounds feature is in the Android clock app. Open this app from the app drawer.
In the lower-right corner of the Clock app, you should see Bedtime. Tap this entry to open the Bedtime page.
Editing the sleep and wake times in the Android clock app.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Set bedtime option for android clock.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Scroll down until you see the “Sleep Sounds” section where you will see “Choose a different sound”. Tap this button and then scroll through the options. You can choose one of the device sounds (Waves, Deep Space and Contemplation), record your own sound or even choose music from YouTube or Spotify.
Once you’ve selected your tone, exit the Sleep Tones window.
Now it’s time to choose the sound you want to hear when you’re trying to drift off to sleep.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETHow to use sleep sounds
When it’s time to sleep, open the Clock app and tap Bedtime. Tap the sleep sounds play button to bring up a new page where you can choose how long you want the sound to play (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 minutes).
Also: The top headphones for sleeping
After selecting the time frame, tap the play button and your selected sound will play to sing you to sleep.
I selected Deep Space as the sleep sound.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
And that’s all for Android to help you fall asleep. If you’re like me and the constant buzz of nothing keeps you from drifting off into your favorite dreamscapes, you’ll find this feature to be an absolute necessity – especially on the go.
