How To Use Rise Science

Getting Started (3 minutes)

Download the Rise app (iOS or Android) from risescience.com and create an account. Rise asks a few questions about your typical sleep schedule and wake-up time.
Give the app access to your Health app (Apple Health or Google Fit) so it can pull sleep data if you already track with another device or app.
Rise calculates your Sleep Debt - how much sleep you owe your body based on the past two weeks. This is the most important number in the app. Under 5 hours of debt is ideal. Over 10 means you're running on fumes.
Check your Energy Schedule each morning. Rise predicts when you'll have peak energy, when you'll hit an afternoon slump, and when your body's ready for bed. Plan your day around it.
Follow the daily recommendations to chip away at sleep debt: go to bed 15 minutes earlier tonight, avoid caffeine after 2pm, get sunlight in the morning. Small adjustments add up.

Most sleep apps track "how long you slept last night." Rise tracks how much sleep you owe your body over time:

Sleep Debt accumulates across weeks. One bad night doesn't wreck you, but five in a row means you're building debt. Rise shows you the running total so you know when to prioritize recovery.
You can't fully catch up on weekends. Sleeping 10 hours on Saturday helps, but it doesn't erase a week of 5-hour nights. Rise helps you pay it down gradually instead of yo-yoing.
Low debt = high performance. When your debt is under 5 hours, you'll feel sharper, make better decisions, and have more energy. Rise shows the direct link between your sleep and how you feel.

Use the energy peaks to schedule your hardest work. Rise tells you when your brain is at its best - usually mid-morning and early evening. Block those times for deep work, meetings, or anything that requires focus.
Set a wind-down reminder based on your Melatonin Window. Rise shows when your body starts producing melatonin (the sleep hormone). Start winding down 30 minutes before that window so you're actually ready to sleep when your body is.
Track how lifestyle changes affect your sleep debt. Try going to bed 30 minutes earlier for a week and watch your debt drop. Or see how that 3pm coffee pushes your bedtime later and adds to your debt.

Detailed sleep stage analysis. Rise doesn't break down REM vs. deep sleep like Oura or Whoop. It focuses on total sleep and debt, not stages. If you want granular sleep data, use something else.
People who can't adjust their schedule. If you work night shifts or have a newborn waking you up constantly, Rise will just keep telling you your sleep debt is high. The advice is solid, but it assumes you have some control over when you sleep.