What you already know about being a firefighter and EMT: sleep doesn’t come easy. Shift work, long hours, adrenaline spikes, and the simple fact that lives depend on your alertness—none of that is exactly conducive to a full eight hours. Even now, years after leaving the firehouse, I still struggle with sleep. And let me tell you: dragging yourself through the day on fumes is no way to live.
That’s why I wish I’d found Rise Science back when I was still on duty. It’s a sleep debt and energy tracker that actually works—and it’s now my number one recommendation for anyone who wants to improve their sleep, energy, or just feel like a functioning human again. Here's why:
Sleep debt isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a wake-up call
Rise helped me understand something I’d never thought about in concrete terms before: sleep debt. The app looks at how much sleep you actually need (it’s not the same for everyone), tracks how much you’re getting, and gives you a single number that tells you where you stand.
High sleep debt? You feel foggy, edgy, depleted. Low sleep debt = you feel sharper, stronger, more present. It’s like stepping on a scale for your energy. And just like a fitness tracker helps you reach your workout goals, Rise helps you fix your sleep—with no fluff, just facts.
I’ve tried other sleep apps in the past, but they all felt like guesswork. Rise showed me why I was exhausted and how to fix it. Not by throwing random tips at me—but by giving me tools I could actually use.
It tells you when to sleep, when to work, and when to chill
Here’s how it works: Rise syncs with your phone’s data (no wearable required) and shows you your personal energy forecast—literally a schedule that maps out your highs and lows throughout the day. It’s wild how accurate it is. I now know when I’ll hit a slump, when I’ll be firing on all cylinders, and the best time to shut down for the night.
If I’ve got a big meeting, a red-eye flight, or an early-morning fishing trip with my son, I can actually plan around my energy levels. That’s a game-changer.
And if you're working 24s or bouncing between night and day shifts, the app helps you recover in a way that doesn’t sabotage your rhythm. It’s the first tool I’ve used that respects the chaos of real life instead of pretending we all work 9-to-5.
You can even sync up with your partner
One unexpected win is the Partner Connect feature. My wife and I synced up on the app and now we can see each other’s sleep debt. I know if she’s running on empty, and she knows if I need to hit the hay early instead of cracking open a beer. It’s a small feature, but it’s had a big impact on how we show up for each other—and that matters.
For just $1/day, it’s the cheapest life upgrade you can make
I spend more on coffee trying to fake energy than what Rise costs to actually build it. You can subscribe for around $1/day—or even less if you go quarterly. Honestly, this app should be standard issue for every first responder, shift worker, and anyone who’s sick of being tired all the time.
Everyone needs to try Rise Science ASAP
If you’re reading this and you’ve been waking up tired, dragging through the afternoon, or wondering why your motivation’s gone MIA—it’s not you. It’s your sleep debt.
Rise gives you the tools to fix it.
You don’t need to overhaul your life. You just need to understand your energy—and that starts with one number. Rise made sleep make sense for me. I’ve got a long history of suiting up for emergencies, and this is the one tool I’d hand to anyone who wants to feel better, move better, and live better—starting tonight.
