Better Sleep DiarySleep diary for iPhone
See what's behind your bad nights
A sleep diary for iPhone that takes about a minute each morning. It helps when:
- “I slept badly” is all you know, and you want numbers you can compare night to night
- You can't tell what's to blame, coffee, a drink, a late meal or no exercise
- Your doctor or therapist has asked for a sleep diary, and paper forms keep getting lost
- Private, no account
- Syncs with iCloud
Why keep a sleep diary
Bad nights are hard to fix when all you have is a feeling
“I slept badly” doesn't tell you much.
What the diary doesBedtime, wake time, time awake and how rested you felt become numbers you can compare, with your sleep efficiency worked out for every night.How logging worksYou can't tell what's to blame.
What the diary doesNote coffee, alcohol, your last meal and exercise as you log. Insights compares your nights with and without each one.PlusSee InsightsYour doctor has asked for a sleep diary.
What the diary doesInstead of loose paper forms, hand over a PDF report with a chart and every night in a table.PlusAbout the report
Each morning
Log last night before the day takes over
The diary asks what sleep clinics ask, in the same order you lived it. Yesterday's bed and wake times are filled in, so most mornings you only change what was different.
- When you went to bed, how long you think you slept, and when you got up
- Whether it was hard to fall asleep, how often you woke and for how long
- Sleep quality and tiredness from 1 to 5
- A reminder each morning that stays quiet once you've logged
What's to blame
Your nights with coffee, side by side with your nights without
Insights lines up sleep quality and efficiency against the things you noted: alcohol, caffeine after 14:00, a late meal, exercise. Each comparison says how many nights it's based on, so you know when to trust it.
Insights is part of Better Sleep Diary Plus.
For your appointment
A report your doctor can read in a minute
The PDF report puts a summary and a chart on the first page and every night in a table after it, with your notes on medication or stress beside the night they belong to. Send it by email or print it.
Reports, CSV export and charts longer than a month are part of Better Sleep Diary Plus.
Free tools
Start a diary today, on paper or online
Sleep efficiency calculator
How much of your time in bed you spent asleep, worked out the same way as the app.
Work it outPrintable sleep diary
One or two weeks on a page, in A4 or US Letter, with an example night filled in.
Download the PDFOnline sleep diary
Fourteen nights in your browser, with efficiency for each night and a printout for your appointment.
Open the diary
Private by design
Your diary stays on your iPhone and in your iCloud
There's no account to create and no advertising. The diary syncs through your own iCloud, so we can't see it. A small amount of anonymous usage information helps improve the app, and never includes what you log.
Questions
What is a sleep diary?
A record you fill in each morning of when you went to bed, how long it took to fall asleep, how often you woke, when you got up and how well you slept. Sleep clinics use one to see patterns across nights instead of judging by one bad night.
How long should I keep a sleep diary?
Two weeks is the usual starting point. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's insomnia guideline asks for a two-week sleep log, ideally before the first appointment, and diaries are kept through treatment such as CBT-I.
Does the app track my sleep automatically?
No. Better Sleep Diary is a diary: you tell it about the night each morning. It doesn't use your Apple Watch, the microphone or motion sensors, and it doesn't read Apple Health.
What does it cost?
Logging, reminders, widgets and your history are free. Better Sleep Diary Plus adds Insights, reports, export and long-term charts.
Where is my diary stored?
On your iPhone, and in your own iCloud if iCloud is on for the app, so it syncs to your other devices. There's no account, and the diary is never sent to us.
Can I share it with my doctor?
Yes. With Plus you can make a PDF report with a summary, a chart and every night in a table, including your notes, and send or print it. You can also export every night as a CSV file for a spreadsheet.
Is it a medical device?
No. It's a record-keeping tool. If poor sleep goes on for months or makes the day hard to cope with, see your doctor and take the diary with you.
Sources
- Clinical Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Insomnia in Adults. American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2008.A two-week sleep log before the first visit, what it records, and how total sleep time and sleep efficiency are worked out from it. Checked 7 November 2026.
- Behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia disorder in adults. American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2021.CBT-I is the recommended treatment for chronic insomnia, and it is guided by sleep diaries kept through treatment. Checked 7 November 2026.
Start tomorrow morning
Log last night in about a minute. In two weeks you'll have the diary your doctor asks for.
