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Ryuzzaki OP t1_jckv8qo wrote

Hey folks!

I put together this minimal sleep calculator app after the one I was using (sleepyti.me) was bought out and turned into a giant ad.

If you've never used a sleep (cycle) calculator before, the idea is that sleep is cyclical, with the body going through lighter and deeper phases in roughly 90 minute cycles. This app suggests times to go to bed or to set your alarm, aiming to wake you up in a lighter sleep phase.

It's not quite an exact science, but I find it helpful (as someone who is more of a night owl than a morning person).

Appreciate any feedback and hopefully some of you find it useful!

Update (22/03): Thanks for all the feedback all! As per requests, the site now has a 24 hour mode for those of you who prefer it (toggle between 12/24 in the settings menu, cog icon on the top right). Also resolved some issues a few people were seeing on older browsers.

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Tapemaster21 t1_jcm2tri wrote

Nice! I had noticed sleepytime has changed a bit, I don't use it super often, but I'll have to change my bookmark.

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in2theriver t1_jcmpfkl wrote

I'd mention something about estimated times to fall asleep. It usually takes me about 30 to fall asleep, I know a lot of people do it in 15, and some almost instantly. At least if I know what you are assuming (it looks like 15?), I can easily adjust. Also the style is great, it looks awesome and I love how easy to use it is.

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Ryuzzaki OP t1_jcmyr8p wrote

That's a good shout! You're right, it's currently working on a rough average of 15 mins to fall asleep, so I'll make that clear and look at making it a setting so different folks can adjust as necessary.

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Indrigis t1_jcn4s2w wrote

Purely technical: Your site presents the "time to sleep" in the client's locale ("9 heures of sleep") but still shows the wake up time as AM/PM.

It would be nice if the wake up time followed the 12h/24h setting of the locale.

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Ryuzzaki OP t1_jcn55g1 wrote

Yeah, definitely some improvement I can make here. I'll add proper 24 hour support and pull it from the locale + make it user selectable. Thanks for the feedback!

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Wrenigade t1_jcn8lx4 wrote

Thanks, I used sleepyti.me a ton when I was in school and working full time, I noticed it got weird later on and I was dissapointed. These things are so useful when you need to basically minmax your sleep

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Impregneerspuit t1_jco69iw wrote

Can we just copy all the good apps and make them free without ads? If we all chip in it should be possible. Think of all the tools our ancestors left us for free.

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Snapdragon318 t1_jcnokfd wrote

Aw, that sucks about Sleepytime. I stopped using it a while ago but have actually been thinking of using it again after getting on meds for my fatigue.

Thanks for this. I'll have to look into it.

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valoon4 t1_jcokgo3 wrote

Thanks, been searching for a replacement for some time now!

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miarsk t1_jcomfaf wrote

Sorry to be that guy, but that's not how sleep works and your calculations are off and not usefull. It's better than not caring about sleep at all of course, and might help somebody who simply just doesn't sleep enough, so it's good you made it anyway.

For anyone having sleep issues, please read Why we sleep if you consider your problems mild, or visit sleep centre or consult your doctor if it's affecting your day-to-day functioning.

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MyFacade t1_jcowm4y wrote

Rather than reading an entire book to understand your views, can you summarize things?

I would assume you are referring to variability in sleep patterns, but I don't know for sure since you just said, read a book. I think that's a big ask.

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StandardYob t1_jcm4qpi wrote

The problem for me is falling asleep at the right time :D

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AncientEngineer t1_jcmksx1 wrote

I recommend body scan meditation. 10 minutes and I am so relaxed I fall asleep. There are plenty of guided meditations on YouTuber, Spotify etc.

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SFLADC2 t1_jcnuj72 wrote

On the other end of the spectrum, I take a melatonin, a benadryl, night screen mode on devices, and ear plugs yet it still takes me 45 minutes to fall asleep on a good day.

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Dr_Bunsen_Burns t1_jco7vki wrote

Most melatonin supplements have a higher dosis than your body can breakdown in 24 hours(or even longer). Most people destroy their sleeping rhythms with it.

And most insomnia comes due to lack of believe in the body's ability to sleep.

This expert tells one of the ways they help people with insomnia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVIg_-rJecY

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SFLADC2 t1_jcq8wuj wrote

The annoying thing is before I started using it my sleep was soooo much worse. It sucks I'm tired during the day, but this is better than running on less than 8 hours of sleep.

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Dr_Bunsen_Burns t1_jcsne7k wrote

8 hours is a false dogma.

Also, that you sleep good now is probably the placebo effect.

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SFLADC2 t1_jcsntzd wrote

I've heard the placebo argument but I find it a bit questionable. On occasion my brother who has downs has trouble sleeping and we give him it and it works really well. He has no idea what he's taking or why, so in that case it seems effective.

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Dr_Bunsen_Burns t1_jcsshrb wrote

So now you are comparing yourself to someone that has a complete different body and strange genetics?

Also, are you sure he doesn't know and or want to see results?

Because the only recent study is a meta study that asks for a good trial since it may help, nothing concrete.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28648359/

As I said, 99.99 % 9f the supplements give more melatonin than the liver can remove in 24 hours, thus destroying your melatonin cycle and even making sleeping worse.

From all the people I know that used it(myself included) with or without works the same.

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SFLADC2 t1_jcu34rx wrote

My brother has a mental disability, not "strange genetics". He also is nonverbal, so it would be pretty impressive if he figured out what we gave him.

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Dr_Bunsen_Burns t1_jcuf7to wrote

So downs is not 3 chromosomes on the 23th pair? Do you even know what it is?

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SFLADC2 t1_jcuga1j wrote

I know what it is, but it's not like he's some kind of xman mutant. There's no evidence of it changing sleep patterns.

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Dr_Bunsen_Burns t1_jcuw5u5 wrote

But he has strange genetics, just like I said. Nit sure why you take reality as an offense?

Also, is there research done on the sleep patterns? If not, your claim is bogus.

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m945050 t1_jcslfug wrote

Melatonin did more of a number on my dreams than it helped me go to sleep quicker. I tried it for two weeks before stopping.

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Sulatra t1_jcmse15 wrote

Noice.

If only it could account for random 30-120 of tossing and turning trying to fall asleep...

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ZekasZ t1_jcnc369 wrote

Sleep as Android(app, not a typo) is basically this. Uses phone sensors to measure your movement and determines sleep phase on that. You can set it to have a wake-up window as well, to target that easily waked state. At least, it worked well for me.

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FequalsMfreakingA t1_jcnxpwf wrote

Fun fact, the shorthand (sic) is used to mean (I know you might think I made a mistake, but I'm accurately recreating the thing I'm referring to). Like if a court document references a Tweet that has a typo/misspelling or if a proper noun is stylized in a nonstandard way (like in your example), you could insert "(sic)" without quotations to signify to the reader that the "mistakes" were written with intention.

You didn't say anything incorrect, but thought you might find this interesting enough to spend 97 words to help you save 3 sometime in the future.

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LukeMedia t1_jcoa3q3 wrote

I'm really glad you posted this because I will absolutely find this to be both useful, and an interesting fun fact at some point. Thank you!

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omegashadow t1_jcovsrz wrote

Or just use quotation marks

The "Sleep as Android" app.

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GhostBurger12 t1_jcnr1dl wrote

Even better if you have a smart-wrist thing for movement tracking.

Phone movement sense isn't too accurate.

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DorrajD t1_jcojvgd wrote

Could it work with a fitbit? I actually keep my phone mounted in a spot not on my bed so using it as a sensor is out of the question anyway

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GhostBurger12 t1_jcp8hpe wrote

I don't recall the correct answer.

I have a fitbit & don't use the android at sleep app anymore.

I think I recall fitbit not being friendly in sharing it's feedback.

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thetomahawk42 t1_jcmdvfa wrote

Looks good.

Any chance of an option for 24h mode?

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Ryuzzaki OP t1_jcmyvkk wrote

Thanks! Sure, I'll add it to my feature list

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wesc23 t1_jcmqfwk wrote

Are there any devices which somehow detect where you are in a sleep cycle and not alarm at the wrong time? I have a flexi schedule, so something like that would work

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ayjee t1_jcmqm8k wrote

Sleep as Android is my go to app for that

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Presently_Absent t1_jcmv0it wrote

I've been using it for as long as I can remember, it really is the best alarm app!

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Obliver27 t1_jcnhh8h wrote

Sleep Cycle does this as well. Been using it for a couple of years now.

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lulueight t1_jcnnfjx wrote

I’ve also used Sleep Cycle for several years and love the feature that wakes you up in a 30 minute window of time. It tries to pick the best time to sound the alarm, when you’re not in that deep sleep. You can change the window of time but I think 30 is the recommended time frame.

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zants t1_jcmrzyn wrote

Lots of apps, and lots of smartwatches, have that, yep :)

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Dr_Bunsen_Burns t1_jco81gz wrote

There used to be a crowdfund thing, just when crowdfundign was new. Don't remember the name and think they stopped.

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feydras t1_jclmq0b wrote

Will give it a try. Thank you!

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iron_hills t1_jcn7d89 wrote

Former sleepytime user as well, definitely bummed when that changed. I don't remember them having the option of 'i know when I'll fall asleep...' so thank you for including that in your version!

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pine_ary t1_jcmu3vz wrote

Who can plan when they will fall asleep…

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VinylEagle t1_jcmnb8s wrote

Man I've been doing this for a while. I hear that 4.5 hours, 6 hours, or 7.5 hours are the best lengths of sleep to aim for. If I know I can't get the full 6, which is usually what I aim for, I can manage the 4.5hr cycle a few days out of the week and still truck along without much issue, especially if the day before wasn't very taxing.

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Wilza_ t1_jcn3rli wrote

AFAIK, 7.5 is best for most people. Some need 6 or 9. Very few people are able to function properly with regularly getting less than 6 hours of sleep

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VinylEagle t1_jcn53wv wrote

Right exactly, that's why 8 hours was boasted as a general rule of thumb "full night's rest" for the longest time. Me personally I get 6 and I'm straight

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Dr_Bunsen_Burns t1_jco7ypx wrote

Most people's sleepcycles are 1.5 hours long, and you need atleast 2, then you can wake every cycle. So (3 + 1.5 * n) hours you can wake. n being a whole number starting from 0.

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samanthamaryn t1_jcng9tm wrote

Cool! Now do it for when your baby wakes you up three times a night?

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JoinMyPestoCult t1_jco5q8i wrote

Get the baby to fill in the clock form so it understands when to wake up.

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ksauceyt t1_jcmqiqc wrote

Thank you! Sometimes I have very late school nights and end up staying awake until like 4 in the morning. Ive always wondered if it was better to go to bed or just stay awake at that point and this answered my question with those shorter times with only one or two cycles. Great site, bookmarking it for sure

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streaker03 t1_jcn7kiw wrote

thank you I've been struggling to find a good version of this for quick lookup on my phone

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Abder_Rahim t1_jcv79hk wrote

Bookmarked Just add 24h option

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Ryuzzaki OP t1_jd5tl86 wrote

Thanks for taking a look. I've just added a 24 hour option (enabled by default depending in your locale, otherwise can be toggled by tapping the settings cog on the top right).

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m45qu3r4d3 t1_jcmmufc wrote

This is amazing

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[deleted] t1_jcp0v8j wrote

[deleted]

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m45qu3r4d3 t1_jcqi3li wrote

When I don't sleep for eight hours straight ever and have a varied schedule and no room on my phone for yet another app, yeah it's pretty amazing for me. Sorry you don't have the same experience

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[deleted] t1_jcqky5l wrote

[deleted]

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m45qu3r4d3 t1_jcre8rx wrote

Doesn't change my opinion that this is amazing, and it helps me out, so why are YOU bent out of shape about it?

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[deleted] t1_jcrek7s wrote

[deleted]

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m45qu3r4d3 t1_jcrkwmb wrote

Why are you so upset about it?

Ah I see why after reading your other comments. Sorry I'm not into crypto and "can't keep up" with your "level of genius" bro. Go drink your almond milk

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[deleted] t1_jcrmgaj wrote

[deleted]

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m45qu3r4d3 t1_jcrnuqv wrote

Bud you still haven't answered the question about why it bothers you. I use it to track how many sleep cycles I'm getting. Sorry it annoys you so much that I can't do math, internet stranger

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stgeorgeforeman t1_jcmtf6i wrote

I’m not finding this easily in the App Store…should I be able to download and install this like any other iPhone app? I’d like to put it next to my Clock / Alarm app so that I can meaningfully set bed/sleep/wake timings

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Ryuzzaki OP t1_jcmya9h wrote

It's not in the app store (yet!), but you can add it to your home screen next to your Clock/Alarm, just like an App Store app.

Open the site in Safari on your iPhone (sleepy.im), then hit your share button on Safari's menu (aka the square with an upwards arrow). You should then have an option to "Add to Home Screen". You can make the name shorter if you like, then tap to Add the icon to your home screen and move it around like any other app.

Hope that helps!

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Presently_Absent t1_jcmuwgl wrote

Appreciate the effort but this is already a small function of the fully fleahed out alarm app "sleep as android" that I use

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ikthezeus t1_jcmzoqo wrote

u/Ryuzzaki it doesn’t appear to work on iPhone 12 Pro Max, iOS 14.1 using Safari or Chrome unfortunately. Aside from updating (which I won’t be doing on this device), any ideas on how to get it working?

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Ryuzzaki OP t1_jcn4sy6 wrote

It'll probably need some tweaks on my side to get it working with iOS 14, but I'll see what I can do. Leave it with me!

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ikthezeus t1_jcolndn wrote

Don’t stress about it, I’m an outlier in my setup I know lol! I can always access it on PC etc, but if you have the time and inclination to do that would be awesome 😊

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Ryuzzaki OP t1_jcow4hm wrote

Give it a try now, made some changes that I think should sort out the issues you were seeing

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iamjkdn t1_jco6oa7 wrote

I get this from iOS

Application error: a client-side exception has occurred (see the browser console for more information).

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Ryuzzaki OP t1_jcow86n wrote

Sorry about that, if you give it a try now it should hopefully be working. Had to make a few tweaks for older browser versions.

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Kynario t1_jcop3bi wrote

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

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procrastinator_prime t1_jcos1bg wrote

I think there is some inconsistency. If I select I want to sleep at 10 pm (It says fall asleep at 10 pm once I click calculate), wake up time suggested is 05:45 am. If I select I want to wake up at 05:30 am, It suggests falling asleep at 10 pm.

At the very least, you need to have one of these as go to bed, and the other one as fall asleep.

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Kousket t1_jcpa2e3 wrote

Why isn't there any app directly on my Samsung watch that automaticaly wakes me up when i finish my 12 cycles ?

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iamjkdn t1_jcq0evg wrote

Tell me this, is it bad to sleep more than 6 cycles? I tend to wake up late but sleep early. Maybe 10-11 hrs of sleep. Sure you might have researched on sleep a lot to build this, what are your thoughts on sleeping more than 9 hrs based on your research?

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aeon3k t1_jcspnx5 wrote

The app is nice and simple. Maybe add translations for other people but it’s just that…

I just don’t believe in alarm clock anymore. I have noted throughout my life that when I go to bed at the right time, if I eat and exercise correctly and I’m not stressed out, I fall asleep when I need to and wake up naturally refreshed when I need too. When I’m filled with purpose and goals I even get up earlier !

We should ditch sofisticated mechanisms and try to find out what works for us. I’ve given you my recipe and it works better than anything else.

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t-bands t1_jcwf52q wrote

now i can get by this!

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oldfatslut t1_jcofaoz wrote

so basically it just tells u to sleep ~8hours.. whoa what a fucking revolutionary app

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