Three free iPhone apps to help you sleep better

Will you have trouble sleeping now that daylight saving time has taken effect? For me, it usually takes a week or more to get my sleep patterns back on track. Most experts recommend that adults get 8-9 hours of sleep each night; it's essential to your health and well-being. If counting sheep isn't your thing, try using your iPhone to get some sleep. These apps will help you relax, wind down and drift off into a peaceful sleep. Best of all, they're free.

Alarm Clock HD: While not exactly a sleep aid per se, Alarm Clock HD is a better choice than your traditional alarm clock. Users can select a playlist to wake up to every morning. When the alarm sounds, it starts out quietly and becomes progressively louder. This allows you to wake up more gently than having an alarm blaring in your ear. For those who can't sleep without their social media fix, updates from your Facebook and Twitter feeds can be integrated into the app. A sleep timer lets you set your phone to play music for a certain amount of time and then fade out gently, so you don't wake from the sudden change in noise levels.

Relax Melodies: One of the most popular sleep apps in the iTunes store, Relax Melodies has been featured by Mashable, People Magazine and many others. Choose from 46 high quality sounds to create a custom mix designed to help you relax or fall asleep. The 46 ambient sounds include ocean, winds, rain, monk chants, thunderstorms and many more. The sounds can be layered on top of one another to create a sound that's all your own. My favorite combination is campfire and rainy day. There are two binaural beats available; these occur when two sounds of similar frequencies are presented to each ear and the brain integrates the sounds, producing a binaural beat. The app also features a number of peaceful graphics. There are multiple alarms and timers designed to help you wake up slowly, without that sudden jolt you get when using traditional alarms.

Naturespace: Naturespace is designed to be used with headphones, so if you can't stand something in or on your ears while you sleep, this isn't the app for you. The free version of the app comes with six sounds and is ad-free. Naturespace offers what they call "holographic sound." These sound more realistic than other sound apps you'll find in the iTunes store. The sounds are designed to feel like they're surrounding you rather than just coming in to your ears. My favorites are 'Daybreak Songbird' and 'Riverwind Dreaming.'

Do you use apps to help you fall asleep? Tell me which your favorites are.

Photo courtesy of author.