WE'RE told to stay well away from our phones to get a good night's sleep.
But a little-known feature on Apple devices could be the key to helping you nod off.
iPhones have a nifty selection of snooze-friendly sounds - perfect for listening to when you first hop into bed.
Users can choose from:
- Balanced noise
- Bright noise
- Dark noise
- Ocean
- Rain
- Stream
Research shows these types of sounds can help people of all ages fall asleep faster - and remain in a deep slumber.
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One study found 80 per cent of newborn babies dozed off within five minutes when listening to white noise - sound that contains all frequencies across the spectrum of audible sound in equal measure.
This compared to only 25 per cent in silence.
Another report discovered adults fell asleep 38 per cent quicker when exposed to white noise.
Experts put it down to these "background" sounds - which also include brown noise, pink noise and green noise - masking others in the outside world.
A spokesperson for The Sleep Foundation said: "Unexpected noises can easily disturb sleep.
"Some people find that the neutral sound of white noise can minimise these disturbances and help them sleep better, but this may not be the case for everyone."
Speaking to Sky News, Dr Hana Patel, a GP in London, added: "Some people find white noise helpful as the brain has something relaxing to focus on instead of the surrounding environmental noises.
"White noise can not only help some people to fall asleep, it can help them to stay asleep."
You can specialist machines that play white noise or rain sounds, which can cost anything from £14.99 to £220.
But the "background sounds" selection on your iPhone is completely free - providing you already have one.
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