Guides for sleepless nights
Plain-language guides on sleep diaries and daily routines. If poor sleep keeps bothering you, please talk to a healthcare provider first.
CBT-I at home: what you can start on your own, and where an app fits
CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) is the guideline-recommended first-line approach for chronic insomnia. Here is what it involves, what you can start on your own, and how a sleep diary app fits in.
How to keep a sleep diary for insomnia: what to record, and paper vs. app
What to write in a sleep diary each morning, how long to keep it, and how to choose between a paper diary and a sleep diary app.
Sleep efficiency: how to calculate it, and how to read the number
Sleep efficiency is the share of your time in bed that you actually spend asleep. Here is the formula, a worked example, and how to read it from a sleep diary.
Sleep diary vs. sleep tracker: a sleep app that needs no wearable
Sleep trackers measure you with a watch or your phone's microphone; a sleep diary records how the night went in your own words. Here is how they differ and who each one suits.
How to keep a consistent wake-up time, and check it with a sleep diary
Getting up at the same time every day is part of stimulus control in CBT-I and of NHS sleep advice. Here is how to keep it up on weekends and after bad nights, and how to check it with a sleep diary.
Lying awake in bed: how stimulus control works, and what to know before trying it
Stimulus control, a part of CBT-I, aims to break the link between your bed and being awake. Here is what it involves, why it is worked through with a clinician, and how a sleep diary helps.