Sleep hypnosis setup: headphones, volume and timing

Start the session in bed with the lights out, once you feel sleepy. Use headphones you can lie on without noticing, or a speaker at low volume. Keep the voice just loud enough to follow, the background sound below it, and your phone quiet and dark. The rest of this guide covers each step, and marks which tips are Hypnova settings and which are general phone settings.

When should I start a sleep hypnosis session?

Press play when you are in bed, lights off, and ready to sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) advises not going to bed until you are sleepy and building a relaxing bedtime routine.^[1] A sleep session fits at the end of that routine, not as a replacement for it.

If you have trouble winding down at all, you can also use a session earlier, on the sofa or in a chair, as part of the wind-down. Then do the last steps of your routine and get into bed.

Timing across the week matters too. The CDC advises going to bed and getting up at the same time every day.^[2] The AASM advises a consistent sleep schedule and getting up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.^[1] Playing a session at roughly the same time each night fits that schedule. It does not replace it. For how this played out in practice, see 30 nights of sleep hypnosis.

Which headphones work best lying down?

The best option is the one you forget you are wearing. There is no single right answer, so pick by how you sleep.

• Sleep headbands. A soft fabric band with thin, flat speakers inside. Comfortable for most positions, and the band can double as an eye cover.
• Soft, low-profile earbuds. Small buds that sit flush in the ear work for many side sleepers. Hard or bulky buds press into the ear when you lie on them.
• Over-ear headphones. Fine on your back, usually uncomfortable on your side.
• A speaker at low volume. Nothing in or on your ears. It works well if you sleep alone, but can disturb a partner.

If your headphones are wireless, charge them in the evening so they do not cut out halfway through. Traveling changes the setup; see using Hypnova while traveling.

How loud should a sleep session be?

Quieter than you think. The WHO says you can safely listen at 80 dB for up to 40 hours a week, and that the safe time drops to four hours a week at 90 dB. It advises keeping your device volume below 60% of maximum and using well-fitted headphones so you do not need to turn the volume up.^[3] For sleep, aim well below that: the voice should be just clear enough to follow when the room is quiet.

On iPhone, you can add a Hearing control to Control Center to see live headphone levels in decibels, and turn on Reduce Loud Audio under Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Headphone Safety. Apple notes that measurements are most accurate with its own headphones and are estimated for others.^[4]

Background sound

In Hypnova, the soundscape has its own volume slider during playback, mixed separately from the voice. Set the voice first. Then raise the soundscape only until small noises, like a fridge or distant traffic, fade into it. Keep it below the voice.

There is a reason to keep it low. A systematic review of 38 articles on continuous white or broadband noise found the evidence that it improves sleep was very low quality. The authors noted it may also harm sleep and hearing.^[6] A soundscape can make a room feel calmer. It is not a sleep treatment on its own.

How should I set up my phone?

Some of this happens in Hypnova and some in your phone's settings.

In Hypnova

• Make the session earlier in the evening. Creating a session means a short chat with Nova. Do it before bed so you are not typing in the dark. Replaying a session from your library does not use credits, so the same session can serve many nights.
• Try the Slower speech speed. Playback offers Slower, Normal and Faster. A slower pace may suit bedtime, but go with what feels natural.
• Pick a longer length for bedtime. Sessions come in 10–15, 15–20 or 20–25 minutes. If you usually take a while to settle, choose the longest.

In your phone settings

• Turn on Sleep Focus or Do Not Disturb. On iPhone, Sleep Focus can filter out notifications and calls at bedtime.^[5]
• Turn the brightness down before you press play. The AASM advises limiting bright light in the evening.^[1]
• Press play, then leave the phone alone. The AASM and CDC advise turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed.^[1][2] You need the phone as an audio player, but you do not need to look at it. Put it face down and out of reach.

What if I wake up in the middle of the night?

If the session is still playing and you feel drowsy, let it keep going. If it has finished and you are awake, you can replay it from your library. Keep the screen dim and the phone down once it starts. Our guide to why you can't sleep at 3 AM covers why these wake-ups happen.

If that does not help and you are still awake after a while, the AASM advice applies: if you do not fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed and do a quiet activity with little light, and stay off electronics.^[1] Go back to bed once you feel sleepy, in line with its advice not to go to bed unless you are sleepy.

For what the research on hypnosis and insomnia does and does not show, read hypnosis for insomnia: the research. For more on sleep sessions, see hypnosis for sleep, or compare options in the best hypnosis apps for sleep.

Frequently asked questions