Smart Wakeup

This article provides an overview of Smart Wakeup, explaining how the feature works, how to set it up, and what happens during your wake window. It also answers common questions about timing, sleep stages, and how Smart Wakeup improves your morning by waking you during lighter sleep.

What is Smart Wakeup?
How it Works
Enabling Smart Wakeup
Customizing Smart Wakeup
Setting Smart Wakeup Volume
Enabling Permissions for Snooze
Smart Wakeup FAQs

 

What is Smart Wakeup?

Smart Wakeup is an EEG-responsive alarm that monitors your sleep cycles and wakes you at the precise moment your brain is in light sleep, when it’s naturally easiest to wake up. Instead of relying on a fixed alarm time, it works within a set window to find the optimal moment and uses gentle audio cues to ease you out of sleep, helping reduce grogginess and improve how you feel in the morning.

• Alarm: A gentle, gradually rising audio cue that begins at the optimal moment in light sleep, replacing a jarring traditional alarm.

• Meditation: A guided audio experience that helps transition your brain from sleep to wakefulness w start your day with intention and clarity

• Dreaming: A wake-up mode timed closer to REM sleep, designed to surface dream recall and bring you out of sleep more gradually.

Important: This article primarily works with alarm and meditation Smart Wakeup content. Dreaming is designed differently. For Dreaming focused information, check out our dedicated Smart Wakeup: Dreaming FAQ article for more information.

 

How it Works

Muse monitors your sleep cycles in real time using EEG sensors. When Muse detects you’re close to waking up, Smart Wakeup will start to play the audio content.

• How it helps: Using real-time brain data (EEG) to detect your sleep stage and wake you during your lightest sleep means you’re woken up when your brain is already close to being awake, resulting in a gentler, more natural transition out of sleep.

• Why it matters: Waking from deep sleep can cause grogginess and mental fog. By timing your wake-up to the optimal moment in your sleep cycle, Smart Wakeup helps you feel more alert, clear-headed, and ready to start the day—improving how you feel immediately after waking and supporting better overall recovery.

Prefer to always wake at the same time? Simply toggle off Smart Wake Window.

You'll know Smart Wakeup activated by the yellow timestamp on the Sleep Stages graph.

 

Enabling Smart Wakeup

To enable Smart Wakeup:

1. Go to the Sleep tab and tap on Start Sleep Session.

2. After you’ve passed the sensor check, toggle on Smart Wakeup. When using Smart Wakeup for the first time, you’ll be prompted to enable notifications in your device’s permission settings.

3. Tap the > icon to download and choose your Smart Wakeup audio.

4. Configure your Smart Wakeup settings to what works best for you.
   
    

Customizing Smart Wakeup

Once you’ve enabled Smart Wakeup, tap the Settings button to customize your experience:

• Wake Time: Set the latest time you want to wake up.

• Volume Level​​​​​​: Set the alarm volume so that it’s audible.

• Smart Wake Window: When enabled, Muse uses EEG to wake you at the moment of your lightest sleep, 5 to 60 minutes before your wake-up time.

  • When disabled, Muse will wake you up at the set Wake Time.

• Snooze: Enable to use the Muse app snooze feature and set the length of your snooze.
   

Important: Dreaming has unique settings. Checkout our dedicated Smart Wakeup: Dreaming FAQ article.

 

Setting Smart Wakeup Volume

Each Muse sleep experience has a different purpose, needing different volume settings. Smart Wakeup needs to be loud enough to wake you, but Sleep Assist and Deep Sleep Boost need to be quiet enough not to disturb your sleep.

Since they all share your phone's media volume, set them in this order:

1. Start with Smart Wakeup

• Set this first because it’s the only sound that must wake you. If it’s too quiet, nothing else matters—even if the rest of the night sounds fine.

• Preview your wake-up sound and adjust your phone’s volume until it feels strong enough to wake you. This becomes the maximum volume for all other sounds.

2. Set Sleep Assist below that

• Sleep Assist should be softer than your wake-up sound. It should help you fall asleep comfortably—not compete with or match your alarm.

3. Set Deep Sleep Boost even lower

• This should be the gentlest layer, barely audible, ensuring it never wakes you.

4. Set Sleep Sounds last.

• Once everything else feels right, add Sleep Sounds around them.

• Smart Wakeup (loudest) → Sleep Assist → Deep Sleep Boost (softest) → Sleep Sounds (comfortable and not competing with other sounds)

5. (Optional) Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and adjust notification volume.

• Notification volume is separate from media volume. If you want to receive calls, adjust the notification volume separately.
  
   

Enabling Permissions for Snooze

When you enable Smart Wakeup, Muse app will ask for your permission for full screen notifications. This is required to use the Snooze feature from your home screen.

Android Permissions:

1. Go to Device Settings > Apps > Muse App.

2. Tap App permissions > Notifications > Other notifications.

3. Toggle on Smart Alarm.

Important: if you're using an Apple device with screen lock, you will need to unlock your screen to use snooze.

 

Smart Wakeup FAQs

Is my Muse compatible with Smart Wakeup? 
Smart Wakeup is compatible with all Muse S headbands, including Athena.

How can I access Smart Wakeup?
To get started, download the latest version of the Muse app.

Does Smart Wakeup require a subscription?
Yes, Smart Wakeup requires a premium subscription. Muse S users without a subscription can upgrade to one in the Muse app.

If I disable Smart Wake Window, does Muse use EEG to wake me at the right moment?
No, if you disable Smart Wake Window, the Muse app alarm will simply wake you at your selected Wake Time regardless of your sleep stage.

Can I save Smart Wakeup to the Today screen? 
No, Smart Wakeup can’t be saved to the Today screen, although the Muse app will remember your settings. 

Can I use Smart Wakeup alongside other Sleep experiences? 
Yes! Our Designing My Sleep Experience article goes into further detail on how to customize and combine the Sleep experiences for your sleep needs. 

Where can I learn more about my sleep data? 
For an in-depth look, see our Understanding Sleep Data article.