Most school leaders wake up between 4:30 and 5:30 to get ready for a school day that starts at 7am. Waking up groggy and tired is something that every school leader struggles with; and often educators welcome any advice for better waking and managing sleep. Well, there is an app for that!

SleepCycle is a smart alarm clock that measures your movement throughout the night. There is a correlation between your movement and your state of consciousness. Most alarm clocks are set for a specific time. People who wake up at 5:15 every day find that on one day they’re wide awake at 5:15, and on another day they’re very groggy. Without getting too far into the science, the basic reason for this is that on days that you feel awake, the 5:15 is at the end of your 30-minute sleep cycle. The days that you are feeling groggy, you are being awoken in the middle of your sleep cycle, out of deep sleep.

The SleepCycle app measures your sleep cycle and intelligently wakes you up when you are most awake. Simple choose a 30-minute window to wake up, with the absolutely latest time as the highest number.

For example, if you traditionally wake up at 5:15 but don’t mind waking up at 5:30, set the alarm for 5:00 to 5:30.  SleepCycle will measure your movement and wake you up at the optimal time during that 30-minute window. One day you will wake up at 5:25, and one day you will wake up at 5:03. I have used SleepCycle for over a year, and I always wake up energized and refreshed. Often, I open my eyes, look around, wonder “What time is it?” – and that’s when the alarm goes off. SleepCycle knows when I am awake (based on movement) and intelligently wakes me up.

Waking up rested and ready for your day can make a dramatic impact on your outlook. Your attitude and behavior towards colleagues will set the tone for your school. This one app alone could completely change the attitude and behavior of your entire faculty. When you are positive and alert, you inspire others to be the same.