Websites specifically for Sickle Cell Pain can be found here. 

Applications to Manage Pain, Functional Symptoms, Chronic Discomfort, Sleep, Well-Being, Overall Stress, etc. While some of the apps target a specific issue, they can apply across various types of symptoms. Try them out and find the ones that work best for you!

Educational and Symptom Management Resources

• How Mind-Body Skills Can Reduce Pain and Improve Comfort

https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2021.682687

• ImaginAction

• Pain Bytes

• MyCarePath:

• You Are the Boss of Your Brain (13 minutes)

• Migraine: How it Works and How to Get it Under Control (7 minutes)

• Mysterious Science of Pain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eakyDiXX6Uc

• Understanding Pain in Less than 5 Minutes

• Tame the Beast (5 minutes)

• The Mystery of Chronic Pain by Elliot Krane (8 minutes)

• Why Things Hurt by Lorimer Mosely (14 minutes)

Pain Management Specific

• Pain Tricks – Free

This application has a lot of great information for parents and caregivers and some good information for younger children. It includes examples and information about pain, distraction techniques, relaxation, and breathing, but does not incorporate much practice (Cilein Kearns, 2012).

• WebMap Mobile Free

This program is designed to help teenagers with chronic pain cope and increase their ability to do the things that are important to them. Includes behavioral and cognitive strategies for managing pain and was designed and tested by pediatric pain psychologists.

• Healing Buddies (Best for Children) $1.99

Provides an interactive, virtual way for kids and teens to engage with the latest in integrative medicine techniques. Combines CBT strategies with guided audio exercises to target pain, insomnia, nausea, anxiety, and fatigue.

• Guided Imagery for Pain Relief (All Ages) Free

This 9-minute exercise is designed to guide your body to a more relaxed and comfortable state. Listen and download for free at TheComfortAbility.com (Guided Exercises à Relaxation).

• Migraine Buddy App (All Ages) Free

Used to help identify possible triggers, lifestyle factors, sleep cycles, and even weather patterns that could contribute to migraines. Easy to use for both caregivers and children.

• Headache Relief Guide

An interactive resource for learning about headaches and how to manage them. Includes short, animated videos (available in Spanish) and interactive guides aboutstrategies for managing headaches. This includes sleep, relaxation, hydration, diet and physical activity. For children as young as 8.

General Meditation & Relaxation

• Buddhify- $2.99

This app provides a wide range of mobile or on-the-go guided meditations, which you can do at any time. They are categorized by what you're doing and how you're feeling. You'll find meditations you can do while walking, getting ready for bed, waking up, taking work breaks and many other categories. Sessions last from 4-30 minutes.

• Relax & Rest Guided Meditations – $1.99

This easy-to-use guided meditation app has three different lengths of meditation, and both the voice and background music are very soothing. The longest meditation (24 min) has components of muscle relaxation, which may be particularly helpful for pain.  Other meditations focus on breath (5 min) and deep rest (13 min). (Meditation Oasis, 2011)

• Simply Being-Guided Meditation for Relaxation & Presence – Free

This app is designed for adults but is one of the highest-rated meditation apps in the App Store and would work well for adolescents. Meditations have several different lengths, so adolescents could work up to the longer meditations.  Emphasis is on “letting go” and “just being.”(Meditation Oasis, 2009).

• Take a Break! – Guided Meditations for Stress Relief – Free

This simple and easy to follow stress relief app has two different lengths of guided meditation (7 min and 13 min).  You can customize the background sound and the volume of the voice speaking (Meditation Oasis, 2011).

• Mindful Moments – Free

This application is better suited for older adolescents.   The app includes a good selection of meditations; each meditation includes helpful educational information about the benefits of relaxation before each exercise (Cleveland Clinic Wellness Enterprise, 2012).

• Calm App (All Ages) Free/Subscription

This app is a great introduction to meditation,  and includes programs for intermediate and advanced users. Options for sleep stories, guided breathing, and more.

• Headspace (All Ages) Free/Subscription

Relax with guided meditations, mindfulness techniques, and sleep sounds for various ages.

• Insight Timer (All Ages) Free/Subscription

This app includes guided meditations to help calm the mind, relax the body, reduce anxiety, and help with sleep.

• Smiling Mind (All Ages) Free

This app has a wide range of mindfulness exercises that are categorized by age and situation. Also includes meditations focused on school, sleep, sports, and families.

• Simple Habit (All Ages) Free/Subscription

5-minute meditations geared for busy lifestyles, aimed to reduce stress and improve focus.

• Virtual Hope Box (All Ages) Free

Contains simple and personalized strategies to help with coping, relaxation, active distraction, and positive thinking. Can be used alone or is a great tool to use with a therapist. Also good for deep breathing.

• Plant Nanny (All Ages) Free/Subscription

Easily track and increase your water intake. Keep hydrated to keep your plants happy and grow your collection of cute plants. Also offers customized reminders to stay hydrated.

• Finch (All Ages) Free/Subscription

Finch is a self-care pet app that helps you feel prepared and positive, one day at a time. Take care of your pet by taking care of yourself and building new healthy habits.

Diaphragmatic “Belly” Breathing  Exercises

• Breathe2Relax – Free

This app teaches people how to belly breathe. It includes instruction and practice exercises, although there is only one exercise included for people to practice. This app is especially helpful for pacing one’s breathing and the practice screen is very customizable (The National Center for Telehealth and Technology, 2011).

• Pranayama – Free

This breathing app is based on principles of breathing in yogic practice. This guide to deep breathing has a progressive course that includes music and animated visuals (Saagara, 2011).

• BellyBio Interactive Breathing – Free

This app turns the iPod Touch or iPhone into a biofeedback device that measures breath rate. The user places the iPhone or iPod Touch on his or her belly and the device tracks the movement of the belly with each breath.  It includes visual and audio cues for improved breathing.  Although using this app takes some practice, it can be an engaging way to reinforce proper diaphragmatic breathing techniques. This app also includes a helpful YouTube tutorial to teach users the proper technique.  Note: this app cannot be used with an iPad (RelaxLine, 2010).

• Breathing Zone (All Ages) $3.99

This simple and easy-to-use app detects your breathing rates and usesa graphic on screen to help slow the pace of your breathing.

• iBreathe (All Ages) Free/Subscription

iBreathe is a simple and customizable app designed to guide deep breathing. This app includes optional reminders to practice at specific times of the day.

• 3 Minute Mindfulness (All Ages) Free/Subscription

This app has customizable, guided paced and box breathing exercises with soothing visuals. Also good for meditation/relaxation and sleep.

General Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• At Ease: Anxiety & Worry Relief – $2.99

This app has three different guided breathing meditations designed to reduce anxiety, ranging from 9-12 minutes long. This app also features support for technical difficulties and a journaling component that allows users to keep track of ‘inner resources’ (Meditation Oasis, 2010).

• CBT-i Coach (All Ages) Free

This application can be especially helpful for children with stress and sleep problems, as a complement psychotherapy. Also good for progressive muscle relaxation, breathing, and guided imagery, and sleep.

• CBT Through Diary (Best for Adolescents)Free/Subscription

This app uses tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and CommitmentTherapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Designed to help users identify their emotions, challenge unhelpful thoughts, and practice mindfulness.

Sleep

• iSleep Easy-Meditations for Restful Sleep – Free

This app has nine different meditations that focus on initiation of sleep.  It also includes a good meditation to be used for middle of the night awakenings.  These meditations vary in length from 2-15 min and include education and practice for diaphragmatic breathing and autogenic relaxation (Meditation Oasis, 2012).

• Sleep Well! – $3.00

This application has child-friendly education incorporated into it, and a soothing voice (male or female) to calm listeners. The app is simple and straightforward and incorporates deep breathing into every exercise. Each exercise is 6-10 minutes long (Somatiq, LLC).

• Bedtime Meditations for Kids by Christiane Kerr – $4.99

This app is particularly good for younger children (ages 7-13).  Although the meditations are longer (15-20 minutes), they move at a good pace for children and incorporate imaginative guided imagery exercises (Diviniti Publishing Ltd).

• Moshi Kids (Best for Children) Free/Subscription

Each story follows a natural pattern of sleep, slowing in rhythm as it progresses and introducing dreamy melodies, comforting bedtime themes and soothing soundscapes to help drift into sleep.

• Better Sleep (All Ages) Free/Subscription

This app has sleepscapes, relaxation techniques, calming soundscapes, and sleep stories. Also includes a sleep tracker and customized playlists.

Yoga

• Super Stretch Yoga – Free

This app was created as a story led by a superhero that kids follow through different yoga poses. This app is good for very young children. Parents/caregivers and children can use this app together (The Adventures of Super Stretch, LLC, 2001).