About us
A free site to help you unwind at night and understand what science really says about sleep.
Where the name comes from
In Greek mythology, Alcyone was turned into a kingfisher, the halcyon. Every winter, so she could nest in peace, the winds fell silent and the sea lay perfectly calm for a few days: the "halcyon days." That calm in the middle of winter is what we want to offer you, every night.
Why this site
You can find just about anything about sleep online: miracle promises, conflicting advice, misread studies. We wanted to create a quiet, carefully made, honest place where you can both relax (with sounds and breathing exercises) and understand, thanks to simple, sourced explanations.
How we work
- We start from the studies researchers publish, not just the headlines.
- We explain them in our own words, without jargon, and always tell you how solid they are (A, B, C or D).
- We cite our sources so anyone can check them.
- We use artificial intelligence to help us keep up with new research, write and translate. Our audio sessions are recorded with a synthetic voice: that's how we can offer new ones regularly, for free. Sessions and articles are prepared with these tools and go through an automatic checklist before publication. Stéphane set its rules, follows what gets published and rereads the articles after they go live.
What we don't do
We are not doctors, and this is not a health site. We don't give medical advice, make diagnoses or recommend treatments. For any question about your health or your sleep, talk to a healthcare professional.
Read our full editorial promise →
Who is behind Alcyonia
Alcyonia is created and run by one person: Stéphane H., its founder. He picks the topics, designed the way the sessions are made, rereads the articles after they go live and answers the messages himself. He is neither a doctor nor a sophrologist, which is exactly why the site cites its sources, rates the strength of each study and points you to a professional as soon as a question goes beyond simple well-being.
Find Alcyonia elsewhere: YouTube and the podcast on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music, and TikTok.