Dear Calm App, I Love You

August 28, 2026

I've used the Calm app for years, and how I use it has changed a lot along the way. Here's my favorite feature, how my routine with the app has shifted, and the sleep earbuds that made it even better.

Summary

I’ve been using the Calm app for years, and it’s still one of my favorite tools for sleep and meditation. The app covers a lot of ground — sleep, meditation, mindful tools, reflections, music, soundscapes, even a kids’ section — but my favorite by far is the sleep stories for adults. How I use the app has shifted over time too, from guided meditations early on to mostly soundscapes now. Here’s what I actually use it for these days, and how I’ve paired it with sleep earbuds to make falling asleep even easier.

Why I Still Use the Calm App Years Later

I started using Calm years ago, and I still love it today. The app is packed with categories — sleep, meditation, mindful tools, reflections, music, soundscapes, and even a section built specifically for kids. In a nutshell, there is something to love for anyone on this app.

My Favorite Feature: Sleep Stories for Adults

My favorite part of the whole app, by far, is the sleep stories for adults. My favorites: Calm Airways and Beauty and the Beast.

There’s something amazing about listening to a story for about 40 minutes before bed, almost like being read to as a kid — which, honestly, wasn’t really a bedtime experience my own family gave me growing up.

How My Use of the App Has Changed Over Time

In the early days of my meditation practice, I leaned a lot on Calm’s guided meditations. There are all kinds of them on this app such as guiding to teach how to breathe or use a mantra. These days, I mostly use it for the soundscapes — their nature sounds are genuinely high quality. And since I have the subscription, I never have to worry about an ad cutting through the middle of my meditation.

Pairing Calm With Sleep Earbuds

A while back, I bought Soundcore’s Sleep Earbuds A30, the ones actually designed to be worn while sleeping. Since then, if I’m having trouble falling asleep, I’ll put one of Calm’s sleep stories on through them and not have to worry about regular earbuds falling out or being uncomfortable once I actually fall asleep.