Doesn’t account for shift work
I sleep at 3pm and wake up at 9pm but it says “error” when trying to input that information; this app doesn’t account for irregular sleep hours which is kind of counter productive and renders the app useless.
Lots of struggling to stay awake. Nothing to improve and lengthen nightly sleep.
Spent 6 weeks struggling to stay up until 11pm and then waking up at 4:30am. Expected to start weaning off only 5.5 hours of sleep and start going to bed earlier. Instead I got “Congratulations you have finished.” That’s it. Nothing more.
This needs to be better.
Like put in actual sensible writing.
I literally have to write my issues in the comments. Because according to the app going to bed at 10pm not being able to sleep till like 4am conflicts in their app.
Also I don’t care about the sleeping habits of bats. I care about actually getting quality sleep.
I literally have to write my issues in the comments. Because according to the app going to bed at 10pm not being able to sleep till like 4am conflicts in their app.
Also I don’t care about the sleeping habits of bats. I care about actually getting quality sleep.
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Helpful
Easy to use, helpful explanations about why following the recommended actions can sharpen awareness and foster better choices for improving sleep habits.
Unable to change entries if an error was made
Unhappy no contact with app support.
One trick pony
This app is helpful to a modest degree, but the emphasis is all on keeping bedtime and wake time consistent. If you’ve got that down and your problem is waking up in the night, then this app will not help you (other than to remind you ad nauseam to get up if you’ve been lying in bed awake more than 15 minutes). There are no tips here for how to avoid waking up and lying awake in the night. For me the advice that I should power through for days on end with inadequate sleep (no naps!) flies in the face of the science.
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Made my insomnia worse
It’s interesting that the purveyors of CBTI (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) give themselves outstanding grades as to their rates of success, but in this app, after one night reporting four and a half hours of sleep, their advice was to “see a professional.” So my sleep problem is great that you’re giving up on me?
At first I thought all that mindfulness and record keeping was helpful, but it soon turned into making me MORE nervous about bedtime and the prospect of not sleeping. At one point the app suggested I go to bed at 1:30, as if by making myself so resoundingly exhausted, I’d immediately sleep. No, it just meant that my sleep would begin, maybe, at 2:00 or later.
A big aspect of CBTI is to train your brain that your bed is only for sleeping (or sex, ha) so after 15 minutes of trying, you’re supposed to get up and do something else. Some nights I’d leave my warm bed and wander around the cool house two or three times, each time eating up about an hour of potential sleep time. I finally decided that if I was not going to sleep, I’d be better off staying in a comfortable place, at least resting, perhaps meditating.
As a fellow sufferer, I don’t want to discourage anybody from seeking help with their insomnia. CBTI might work for you. It’s worth a try, and if you’re to do so, this app is probably as good as you’ll get. It’s designed by the Department of Veteran Affairs (or at least it has some veteran connection). It’s user-friendly. And, as I said, at first it helped. I just want to share that if it makes you feel you have to “perform” or else, you have my permission to relax, take half an Ambien (without feeling guilty), and go back to bed.
At first I thought all that mindfulness and record keeping was helpful, but it soon turned into making me MORE nervous about bedtime and the prospect of not sleeping. At one point the app suggested I go to bed at 1:30, as if by making myself so resoundingly exhausted, I’d immediately sleep. No, it just meant that my sleep would begin, maybe, at 2:00 or later.
A big aspect of CBTI is to train your brain that your bed is only for sleeping (or sex, ha) so after 15 minutes of trying, you’re supposed to get up and do something else. Some nights I’d leave my warm bed and wander around the cool house two or three times, each time eating up about an hour of potential sleep time. I finally decided that if I was not going to sleep, I’d be better off staying in a comfortable place, at least resting, perhaps meditating.
As a fellow sufferer, I don’t want to discourage anybody from seeking help with their insomnia. CBTI might work for you. It’s worth a try, and if you’re to do so, this app is probably as good as you’ll get. It’s designed by the Department of Veteran Affairs (or at least it has some veteran connection). It’s user-friendly. And, as I said, at first it helped. I just want to share that if it makes you feel you have to “perform” or else, you have my permission to relax, take half an Ambien (without feeling guilty), and go back to bed.
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Too much
Way too detailed for me to answer. Trying to comply, I fear, would only make my sleep worse by hyperfocusing on it. But I can see the value for others. Thanks for creating a helpful tool.
Excellent App! 5 Stars
Thank you, Dept of Veteran Affairs. Insomnia Coach is very helpful, and one of the best apps on my phone. With diligent use, the CBT-i exercises and procedures are very effective. I’m learning to sleep better without fear.
Fantastic Free Tool
This has been a life changing app for me. The first 2 weeks are not easy, but the long term payoffs are huge. I’ve been sleeping pill free for a year now and maybe 95% of the time sleeping through the night and waking up feeling refreshed.
Needs work
The bright white background and the inability to listen with the screen off is a no go.
Stuck
I used to get 6-7 hours a night, and after following this program for 8 weeks I’m having heart palpitations in the middle of the night making me wake up after only 4-5. My body is very tired and I fight myself for hours to not fall asleep until my instructed sleep time, but then I wake up after about 4 hours and struggle to get sleepy again. It is taking me about an hour and a half to come down from my heart palpitations (and now sometimes panic attacks), and then I try to go back to sleep with very little success.
My sleep was poor before but now it’s worse, and I fear that I’m stuck now because I’m incredibly anxious about losing sleep and I think that’s why my heart palpitations are happening in the early morning. I did not have these before I started the program.
It’s nice to see this app has worked for others, but it’s not working for me and now I feel like I’m stuck with this worsened sleep.
My sleep was poor before but now it’s worse, and I fear that I’m stuck now because I’m incredibly anxious about losing sleep and I think that’s why my heart palpitations are happening in the early morning. I did not have these before I started the program.
It’s nice to see this app has worked for others, but it’s not working for me and now I feel like I’m stuck with this worsened sleep.
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So tired!
I’m on the 5th week of the program and I understand that it wants me to stay up late to get tired enough so I can sleep better. However, it doesn't let me sleep more than 6-6.5 hours and I’m very tired as a result. Is this part of the program? When will it allow me to sleep more? Thank you.
Something is wrong.
In the sleep diary I recorded the time falling asleep as 11:10pm and awakening at 4:00am. It calculates that I was asleep for 1hr50mn and not 4hr50mn. The app seems to have some good advice but there is something wrong with the basic functionality.
Some issues
I’ve just started using this and note a couple problems. The “Progress” tab doesnt accurately reflect the data I entered, it shows fewer “time asleep” hours that I entered in my diary. I got my first recommendation, which was to go to sleep at 1AM in order to wake up at 5:30, which would give me 4.5 hours of sleep, about 1.5 hours less than the average sleep I had recorded in my diary.
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Response from developer
Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear that the Sleep Diary isn't working as it should. If this is still affecting you, please reach out to our team at mobilementalhealth@va.gov so we can help troubleshoot.
Changed my life
After 2+ years of insomnia, following the protocol in this app for 6 weeks has eliminated it. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. This app changed how I understand sleep.
Now I have an extra 4 hours of life every day and I don’t wake up miserable or try to “catch up” on lost hours during the day. Instead, I’m living my life more fully, which makes sleeping easier too. It’s a virtuous cycle.
VA, thank you for making this app and helping me get my life back on track. I’m ever grateful.
Now I have an extra 4 hours of life every day and I don’t wake up miserable or try to “catch up” on lost hours during the day. Instead, I’m living my life more fully, which makes sleeping easier too. It’s a virtuous cycle.
VA, thank you for making this app and helping me get my life back on track. I’m ever grateful.
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Not very good!
Fitbit beats this VA app to smitherins!
Give this a try if you have insomnia
I struggle with insomnia and felt pretty desperate and out of options when I downloaded this. I’m a physician so thought I was doing everything right about sleep hygiene and while I did a lot, this app still really helped. If you do your best to fill in your sleep diaries and follow the recommendations, you’ll likely be sleeping better. I definitely benefited from this app.
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Response from developer
We're so happy to hear that Insomnia Coach was helpful to you! Feel free to recommend this app to your patients, and let us know if you have any questions about clinical integration of this resource at mobilementalhealth@va.gov.
Works for Me!
I stayed with the full program, which was 5 weeks of daily diary entries and slow, sometimes difficult, behavior changing. They were incremental steps toward understanding and practicing better sleep and awake techniques. I’m grateful for access to this free program and the wonders it created for me to have better, more sound sleep.
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Response from developer
We're so happy to hear that Insomnia Coach was helpful to you! If you are interested in offering more detailed feedback or participating in user testing in the future, feel free to reach out to us at mobilementalhealth@va.gov.
Annoying
This app chastises you when you wake up too early and can’t fall back asleep. “It’s important to wake up at the same time every day,” it says. Well, if I could do that, I wouldn’t need the app! Doesn’t give enough help for when you wake in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, or when you wake up too early.
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Response from developer
Thank you for your feedback! For some tips on what to do when you can't sleep, we recommend checking out "Activities for When I Can't Sleep" in the Sleep Rules section. (Home > Tools > Following the Sleep Rules > Activities for when I Can't Sleep). For more help with the app, you can also email us at mobilementalhealth@va.gov.
