Sleep Log Free: The CBT-I sleep diary for insomnia

The pocket sleep therapist using CBT-I methods for chronic or occasional insomniacs.

Note: This is the free, ad-supported version of Sleep Log. For an ad-free experience and additional features, please purchase Sleep Log Pro

We suffered from insomnia for decades, with all the usual symptoms that result from rarely or never getting a good night’s sleep: constant fatigue, fuzzy memory, mood swings, diminished cognitive capacity, symptoms of depression, weight gain.

But our approach for dealing with these persistent sleep issues was haphazard at best. It wasn’t until we finally decided to take a systematic approach to tackling our sleep problem based on the principles of CBT-I, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, that we finally solved the sleep puzzle.

Our quality of life has improved enormously since then. Sleep is no longer a hit-or-miss proposition. Going to bed at night is no longer coupled with the stress of wondering “will I or won’t I…?” We now have the tools, methods and strategies we need to consistently get a good night’s sleep almost every night.

And on those nights when sleep remains problematic, we no longer suffer stress and anxiety connected to insomnia–instead, we’re confident that our brain will apply its own internal methods to ensure we make up for the sleep deficit during the following nights, as long as we continue to track our sleep and potential correlations.

Sleep Log is built around the concept of sleep efficiency. Sleep efficiency is defined as the length of time asleep divided by the total time spent in bed. Successful approaches to sleep therapy are generally based on gradually improving one’s sleep efficiency and thereby training the brain that bed is associated with sleep.

But we go much further, helping track moods and activities experienced during the day that can have a positive or negative effect on that night’s sleep. Sleep Log currently helps track 14 factors grouped by moods, activities and chemicals–such as anxiety, exercise, and caffeine intake–on a daily basis, then correlates those factors with your sleep patterns. Here’s what we help you track, all factors that can positively or negatively affect your night’s rest:

• Happiness

• Excitement

• Stress

• Anxiety

• Daylight

• Exercise

• Meditation

• Work intensity

• Screen use

• Tobacco use

• Alcohol consumption

• Sugar consumption

• Caffeine intake

• Sleep medication

What Sleep Log Free doesn’t do

Sleep Log is a sleep and behavioral diary, logging, analysis and visualization tool, not a traditional sleep tracker. We don’t use automatic methods to track the duration or quality of your sleep at night. In our opinion, app-based methods for tracking sleep are generally unreliable and usually require keeping your device very close to, or even on or in, the bed, which itself can disturb your sleep rhythms.

Intense focus on tracking and visualization of your nightly sleep cycles can also lead to a unhealthy condition called “orthosomnia”, an obsession with getting a perfect night’s sleep, which will have precisely the opposite effect than intended.

Your sleep cycles will vary naturally depending on your sleep needs any given night. You’re the best judge of how well you slept and how rested you feel. That’s why we use your own subjective estimates of these vital factors, rather than trying to tell you how you should feel based on a chart.

Free version

This is the free version of Sleep Log. For an ad-free experience and additional features, get our pro version, Sleep Log Pro. And sleep well!

We want to hear from you! Send your questions, comments and suggestions to thesleeplogapp@gmail.com.