Pokemon Sleep: Turning Sleep Patterns into Pokemon Interactions
The Pokemon Sleep app has been, for the most part, a delight to use. It gamifies your sleep in a way that isn’t all that different from how it is in Pokemon Let’s Go and Pokemon Go, but it also helps improve your nighttime habits in a way that isn’t all that different from how sleep trackers do.
If you’re expecting the app to be a health app, you’ll be disappointed. It is, after all, an app from The Pokemon Company. But I’ve found myself using it often because it’s actually helped me establish nighttime routines and fall asleep faster.
I’ve always been a fan of sleeping with some sort of white noise, whether it’s a fan in the background or the sound of waves. Pokemon Sleep doesn’t allow you to listen to anything but soothing in-game music or silence, and I’ve actually found myself falling asleep faster because of it.
You’re also encouraged to set a bedtime, which is something I’ve always wanted to do but haven’t been able to stick to. Having a bedtime and a consistent sleep schedule has made me feel better upon waking up, with a higher level of excitement.
Of course, there’s still plenty of skepticism surrounding the app’s purpose, and I can’t help but wonder about the potential fire hazard of leaving your phone unlocked and face down near the bed. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not too concerned about that because I’m not going to be spending any money on in-app purchases.
Ultimately, though, I’m glad that Pokemon has found a way to monetize sleep and improve daily habits. I’d be willing to bet that Niantic Labs and Nintendo aren’t the only ones who’ve found ways to do so, and I’m excited to see the kinds of things other companies come up with in the future.
I’ll also be the first to admit that I’ll be spending more time playing Pokemon Sleep than I will actually sleeping with it. That’s because, unlike most sleep trackers, it’s actually fun. I’ll leave my thoughts on that for my full review, though.
If you want to try out Pokemon Sleep for yourself, you can download it here (iOS) or here (Android).
