Using Som is as simple as lying down in a quiet and comfortable place and playing an audio session from the app. The audio session consists of spoken guidance, anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes long. Just follow along with the simple instructions you’re given. You can listen in silence or with relaxing soundscapes in the background.

There’s nothing mysterious about the practice of NSDR. You’ll be guided into deep physical and mental relaxation by focusing on your body and on your breath, then as you become more advanced, you’ll learn how to work with visualization in various ways to release stress and other emotions.

You’ll learn how to gradually, and intentionally, move your mind and body into states associated with the beginnings of sleep. With a little bit of practice, you’ll find it easy, familiar, and automatic to enter into these states and access deep, restful sleep.

NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) is a modern adaptation of the ancient practice of yoga nidrā. This practice is thousands of years old and its effectiveness has been demonstrated by countless practitioners throughout the ages. However, because of its roots in ancient eastern traditions, it is not always easily accessible or understood to us modern folks.

Yoga nidrā has little to do with what we usually call “yoga” (i.e. a set of physical poses). In truth, the full discipline of yoga encompasses practices of all kinds, including yoga nidrā, which is practiced while lying down and remaining completely motionless.

YN/NSDR are still relatively niche practices. While you’ll find hundreds or thousands of YouTube videos, podcasts, and other recordings labeled as yoga nidrā, these vary in quality and authenticity and few to none capture the true essence of the practice. If you download the free Som app and listen to just the first couple of sessions, you’ll find it to be more structured, clear, and rigorous than any other options.

Som’s NSDR program was developed in conjunction a spiritual center in India which teaches the true, authentic practice of yoga nidrā. We also carefully reviewed the now 50+ scientific studies on this practice to understand the protocols that were used in each study, integrated these protocols with ancient practice, then adapted this knowledge into a simple, modern, clear curriculum for Som NSDR.

This is the first, and only, program of its kind in existence.

Research studies on similar practices show results within a couple of weeks, though individual experience can vary. 98% of users in an early trial of Som who responded to an in-app survey reported improvement in either stress levels, sleep quality, or both after 20 sessions.

The journey to better sleep is like improving physical fitness — there aren’t really any shortcuts. Trying NSDR once right before bed and expecting severe, chronic insomnia to disappear is a bit like going to the gym just once and expecting to be fit for a marathon. Results usually build over time with repetition.

And now, there’s finally a simple, clear roadmap you can follow to build that habit and repetition for meaningful, lasting improvement. If you practice NSDR with Som consistently, you will experience benefits to your stress levels and sleep quality.

You don’t need any prior experience of any kind to use Som. In fact, it’s best if you set aside any preconceived ideas you have about such practices because they are not likely to be applicable.

Everything you need to develop NSDR skills is built right into the app, from complete beginner to NSDR master.

Absolutely not. While Som is entirely compatible with all spiritual and contemplative practices, it does not rely on any mysticism, faith, or unsubstantiated claims. It uses clear, precise, easy-to-understand guidance without any jargon or complex terminology.

If you are spiritually inclined, some of the core concepts introduced in Som may feel familiar to you. But if you are intimidated, confused, or otherwise turned off by your conception of what spiritual practices are like, don’t worry — Som will feel perfectly comfortable and accessible to you.

Som NSDR was created out of personal necessity by Antoine Sindhu, a Stanford-educated software engineer and Buddhist practitioner. After long suffering from severe, chronic insomnia without finding any consistently effective solution, he spent over four years learning and perfecting the principles and practice of NSDR. The app remains fully owned, operated, and developed by Antoine. No investors pushing for quick profit, no influencers looking for followers.

While the term NSDR is originally attributed to Andrew Huberman, Som NSDR is in no way affiliated with this podcaster. All NSDR techniques and protocols were personally developed by Antoine through years of study and a relationship with a spiritual center in India that teaches the authentic practice of yoga nidrā, free from any commercial or pseudoscientific influences. Som's content is authentic, rigorous, and influencer-free.

Som is free to download and to practice at the first four levels, which give you a solid foundation in NSDR. Beyond that, Som requires a monthly subscription of $3.99 per month, which unlocks access to 18 levels of instruction and the interactive practice feature.

By the time you reach this point, you’ll know if Som is working for you, and whether it makes sense to try out a paid subscription. We're confident that you won’t find a better value than Som — it’s more effective for stress & insomnia than any other apps at a fraction of the cost.

If you’ve explored options outside of apps, you’ll know that CBT-I or personalized sleep coaching programs cost hundreds or sometimes even thousands of dollars up front, for what’s essentially a set of pre-recorded videos, with no assurance of their effectiveness.

For about the price of one cup of coffee a month, you'll have access to the most effective roadmap for improving insomnia that's ever been created. And if at any point it doesn't seem worth it to you, cancel anytime.