# mySleepButton — The Cognitive Shuffle

> App uses cognitive shuffle and guided meditation to aid sleep. (iPhone/iPad app by CogSci Apps Corp..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mysleepbutton/id740251957 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [CogSci Apps Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/740251960)
- Category: Health & Fitness, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.55/5 from 209 App Store ratings · 129 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.0 · 161 MB
- Languages: English, French, Japanese, Chinese, Chinese
- Released: 2014-04-25
- Data updated: 2026-08-05
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mysleepbutton/id740251957/reviews.md

## What is mySleepButton?

mySleepButton® is a CogSci Apps® invention. Its purpose is to help you fall asleep with the "cognitive shuffle", as featured in the The New York Times, The Guardian, Forbes Magazine, Canadian Government’s Institute of Health Research, The BC Medical Journal online, Popular Science Magazine, Forbes Magazine ("disrupt all patterns and rest in blissful chaos"), LifeHacker ("surprisingly effective"), etc.

It’s so easy: Just lie in bed, touch the “Put Me to Sleep” button, imagine the various descriptions it reads to you, and let yourself fall asleep… pleasantly. That is the Cognitive Shuffle! 

O, The Oprah magazine, calls mySleepButton “An easy little game to trick yourself to sleep.” The Guardian wrote: "My top recommendation remains the visualisation method known as the “cognitive shuffle”: download the MySleepButton app".  Quartz says mySleepButton is “a drug-free sleep trick for your restless mind”. International Business Times of London says “mySleepButton App Hijacks Thoughts to Help Sleep”. 

Into mindfulness meditation? mySleepButton also contains a configurable "affective body scan" meditation pack. It taps into the brain's body maps. Still awake after the meditation? Instantly proceed to guided shuffled imagery. 

You can try mySleepButton for FREE! There's no subscription fee. Buy the pack(s) that you like, and shuffle your thoughts to sleep.

The goal of mySleepButton is to keep your mind off your concerns while putting it in an imagery rich state conducive to sleep.

mySleepButton can also be triggered with Air Pods and played on Apple's Home Pod (or other devices) if you don't want an iPhone or iPad in your bed room. It even has Siri shortcuts.

So, why not enjoy a dreamy transition to sleep? “Shuffle Your Thoughts to Sleep” with mySleepButton.

## Key features

- Cognitive shuffle technique
- Guided imagery for sleep
- Affective body scan meditation
- Configurable meditation pack
- Audio playback on external devices
- Siri shortcuts

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Disable iAd | $0.99 | one-time |
| Simple-Things Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Drawing Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Scenes Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Scenes Pack | $8.99 | one-time |
| Drawing Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Simple-Things Pack | $6.99 | one-time |
| Album d'items simples | $3.99 | one-time |
| Album d'items simples | $6.99 | one-time |
| Body Scan Pack | $8.99 | one-time |
| Kids Pack (4+) | $8.99 | one-time |
| Album d'items à dessiner | $5.99 | one-time |
| 単語パック | $3.99 | one-time |
| 简单事物专辑 | $4.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of mySleepButton?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 No fuss, just works
- 👍 Effective for insomnia
- 👍 Puts me to sleep quickly
- 👍 Helps shut down racing thoughts
- 👍 Better than sleeping pills

**Cons**

- 🐛 Audio quality issues (crackling, clicking)
- 🔧 Requires in-app purchases to unlock full functionality
- 🔧 Repetitive content in free version

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes after iOS updates
- Purchased content not restoring properly

**Most requested features**

- More diverse content and voices
- Randomized word/scene order
- Support for additional languages
- Apple Watch app

## Recent user reviews (10 of 129)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mysleepbutton/id740251957/reviews.md

### 5/5 — No fuss and it works!

*2025-10-31, version 1.11*

Installed it years ago, then forgot all about it. Started using it again for the last two nights and worked each time.

### 5/5 — Fonctionne réellement

*2025-08-27, version 1.11*

La seule applis qui est efficace quand je fais de la grosse insomnie parce que j’ai le cerveau qui pense à tout plein de chose.

### 5/5 — Puts me to sleep in 10 minutes or less.

*2025-04-23, version 1.9*

For years I have struggled with falling asleep and then falling back asleep if I awake in the middle of the night. This app does the trick every single time. I was even able to stop taking melatonin. It’s a simple app, but extremely effective. I learned about this app indirectly in a CNN article on cognitive shuffling. It costs nothing for you to try.

### 5/5 — Best cure for brain spin at bedtime

*2025-02-06, version 1.9*

Before this app I would often struggle with racing thoughts at bedtime. Constant fear and anxiety about what was going to happen or all of the things I had done wrong that day. It would keep me up fearing how much time I’d get to sleep before the next day. 

Then I found this app. I’m not even sure how but once I started using it, it became a sure fire way to fall asleep within ten minutes. I didn’t think that was possible for me! I used to lie awake for hours!!

I’ve been a loyal user for years and thought I should leave a positive review that hopefully helps someone else.

### 5/5 — Better than meds

*2024-06-19, version 1.8*

I have a rare and severe circadian rhythm sleep disorder and a prolapsed bladder that makes me get up every two hours to pee. This app has been life changing for me. I get up to pee, lay back down, tap the button and start thinking about earmuffs and rivers and trees and other ordinary things, one every seven seconds, and after fewer than a dozen things, I'm asleep again.

I also am on the aphantasia spectrum (I am not able to make pictures in my head) so I was afraid this app wouldn't work for me, but it does. I just let the objects appear in whatever senses are available to engage with it. If the word is rose, I feel soft petals against my face as I smell the rose. If the word is river, I hear rushing water and feel it cold against my feet. If the word is earmuffs, I feel them soft against my ears and hear the world muffled. You don't have to be able to visualize the things for this app to work.

### 2/5 — Appli à améliorer

*2024-06-08, version 1.8*

Bonne méthode mais la qualité de l’appli laisse à désirer. Je passe mon temps à la désinstaller et la réinstaller car ne fonctionne plus au bout de quelques jours: la voix dit un premier mot puis cesse complètement.

### 5/5 — It works!

*2023-01-31, version 1.7*

This clever technique often does the trick when other apps do not.I have trouble turning off the churning thoughts and worries and this often works better even than sleep stories or meditative apps.  As another reviewer said, it’s best to pay a little more and get the natural voice.

### 5/5 — The BEST

*2022-12-05, version 1.7*

I’ve never been able to fall asleep within 15 minutes of laying down. That being said I would have to get in bed 30 minutes before I would want to go to sleep. This app changed that. I use it every night and it has never failed. Sometimes I'm asleep within 5 minutes. It’s the BEST.

### 5/5 — Only app that helps me sleep

*2022-09-02, version 1.7*

I have insomnia and anxiety. Sleeping pills don’t work. Usually I just go to sleep when I can’t physically stay awake anymore. But with this app I just fall asleep easily. I hope they continue updating it.

### 5/5 — My sleep saviour for years!

*2022-07-30, version 1.7*

I’ve been using this app for years now and have found it nearly always helps me get to sleep. Nothing works quite like it, I turn it on and usually am asleep within minutes.

The UI is a little dated now, as it hasn’t really changed at all since the all launched, many many moons ago. 

The packs, if anyone is wondering as it really isn’t clear from the app itself, add more words or scenes. So if you don’t pay, you’d probably notice the same set of words or scenes again and again. While, if you pay, you will only very rarely hear repetitions.

## Frequently asked questions about mySleepButton

### What is the "cognitive shuffle"?

The cognitive shuffle is a technique used by the app to help you fall asleep. It involves imagining various descriptions read to you, which distracts your mind from concerns and puts it into an imagery-rich state conducive to sleep. This method has been featured in numerous publications.

### How does this app help me fall asleep?

The app helps you fall asleep by engaging your mind with a "cognitive shuffle" of imagery and thoughts, preventing you from dwelling on worries. It also includes a configurable "affective body scan" meditation pack for further relaxation.

### Is this app free to use?

You can try the app for free. There is no subscription fee. You can purchase specific content packs that you like to enhance your experience and shuffle your thoughts to sleep.

### Can I use this app without my phone in bed?

Yes, the app can be triggered with Air Pods and played on devices like Apple's Home Pod. This allows for a screen-free experience if you prefer not to have your iPhone or iPad in your bedroom while trying to sleep.

### What kind of content does the app offer besides the cognitive shuffle?

In addition to the core "cognitive shuffle" feature, the app also includes a configurable "affective body scan" meditation pack. If you are still awake after the meditation, you can instantly proceed to guided shuffled imagery.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.12 — 2026-04-10

Fixed an issue with in-app purchases that would cause a label to appear saying "Failed. Tap to retry".

### 1.11 — 2025-07-18

Updated packs screen and statistics.

### 1.9 — 2024-12-28

Worked around a change in iOS and iPadOS that caused in-app purchases to crash.

### 1.8 — 2024-01-28

Allow inter-item-interval up to 59 s. Fixed some crashes. Legibility improvements.

### 1.7 — 2021-10-07

Fixed an issue that could cause a "Download Failed" message to occur.
Improved compatibility with new iPad mini display (resolution and aspect ratio with an edge-to-edge 8.3-inch Liquid Retina).

## Apps similar to mySleepButton

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Ocean Waves - Sleep Sounds](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ocean-waves-sleep-sounds/id969903863) | 4.7 (1,999) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Animi: Emotion Wheel & Tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/animi-emotion-wheel-and-tracker/id6443638345) | 4.8 (48) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Sleep Reset: CBT for Insomnia](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sleep-reset-cbt-for-insomnia/id1529321947) | 4.8 (3,366) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Insomnia Coach](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insomnia-coach/id1341944736) | 3.8 (73) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Stellar Sleep: Insomnia CBT](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-sleep-insomnia-cbt/id1602312365) | 4.7 (2,723) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Smart Bites: Food Quality Scan](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-bites-food-quality-scan/id6446603776) | 3.8 (19) | Free | Health & Fitness |

## More apps by CogSci Apps Corp.

- [Hookmark Pal](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hookmark-pal/id1521721999)

All apps by CogSci Apps Corp.: https://appshunter.io/developer/740251960

## Related topics

[cognitive shuffling](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/cognitive-shuffling)

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-05.*