It’s hard to get a good night’s rest in 2026. Between the stress of modern life and the desire to reclaim your free time at the end of the day, it’s becoming harder and harder to get those precious eight hours of sleep that lead to a better life.
To make matters worse, smartphones often have a decidedly detrimental impact on sleep, with the blue light from the device affecting your circadian rhythm and the content typically found on phones rising your cortisol levels.
On the other hand, you could use the many features in Android 16 to turn your phone into your own personal bedtime steward that shames you into finally hitting the hay.
Related
I stopped my phone from ruining my sleep without leaving it in another room
It’s easy to make these small changes
Bedtime Mode
Put your phone to bed first
It’s hard to put your phone down and actually get some sleep at the end of the night, because it has so much going on. From social media apps and streaming services to mobile games and productivity tools, you can always find something to do when you’re looking at your phone.
That’s why a feature like Bedtime Mode can be so helpful when the sun goes down.
This feature can be scheduled to block app functionality at a certain time, preventing you from even opening them after you’re supposed to be in bed.
Sure, there’s a notification that allows you to bypass it, but the shame is there nonetheless.
To add to the shame, Bedtime Mode can also change how your display operates when the scheduled time is reached.
You can have Bedtime Mode automatically toggle on options like grayscale, which turns the entire display to black and white only, or dark mode, which turns all the white interfaces to black.
It can also disable your always-on display and dim your wallpaper, furthering your shame as bedtime approaches.
As for how to turn on Bedtime Mode, just go to the Digital wellbeing option in the Settings menu. You’ll quickly find the Bedtime Mode option. This page will allow you to turn it on and set a schedule, as well as check out the dashboard of your sleep health, if you’ve turned that on.
You’ll also be able to customize it by clicking the Customize in Modes button, which allows you to pick the apps, people, and alarms that are allowed to interrupt the mode.
If you really want to make sure you’re getting some much-deserved shut-eye, though, don’t let any interruptions get in your way.
Bedtime, cough, and snore data
How well are you actually sleeping?
Knowledge is power, and that goes double for your sleep schedule.
Understanding how poorly you sleep on a daily basis is a valuable tool in shaming you to get to bed, which is why you should definitely turn on the sleep tracking features available in Android 16.
For starters, the Bedtime sensor data available on the device is quite helpful. It will provide you with a comprehensive dashboard that shows all your tossing and turning throughout the night, giving you a clear picture of how much you need to improve to start feeling rested again.
The Cough & snore info option in Android 16 takes this to the next level. In addition to basic sleep tracking, this feature will use the device’s mic to detect coughing and snoring during your scheduled bedtime, giving you even more data about your beauty rest.
Trust me, seeing a graph that outlines how badly you slept the night before will give you all the shame you need to get your bedtime routine in order.
To turn on these sleep tracking features, go to the Bedtime mode menu from earlier. Then, click the three-dot menu in the upper right corner and select Manage your data.
This will give you a number of options, including Daily device usage, Bedtime sensor data, and Cough & snore info. Toggle on as many as you feel comfortable with, and get started on a better night’s sleep right away.
Make sleep a priority
Your phone can help instead of hurt
There are dozens, if not hundreds of studies that point to the importance of getting a good night’s rest. People that sleep well are happier, live longer, and achieve their dreams more frequently. Who wouldn’t want that?
The reality is that you have all the tools you need at your disposal to improve the quality of your sleep.
These smartphone features are a good place to start, but there are other steps you can take, like sleeping in a colder room or playing white noise on your Google Home.
Nothing is going to change if you don’t make some changes yourself, though. The only way to ensure that you finally get a good night’s rest is to actually go to bed.