Sleep Journal

Frequently Asked Questions

How much sleep do I need?

Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night, though individual needs vary. Sleep Journal lets you set your own target in hours, shows it as a reference line on your charts, and tracks how close each night comes - so you can find the amount that actually leaves you feeling rested.

Does this app automatically track sleep?

No - Sleep Journal is a manual sleep diary: you enter your bedtime and wake time yourself, and it calculates the duration for you. It has no sensors, does not listen while you sleep, and does not detect apnea events on its own. If a device already records your sleep, you can import those nights from Apple Health instead of typing them.

Can I log naps?

Yes - you can log as many sleep periods per day as you like in Sleep Journal, including naps and split or interrupted nights. Each entry shows its own duration, the day view adds them up, and shift workers can log an afternoon sleep exactly like a night one.

What's the difference between this and Apple Health?

Apple Health stores sleep numbers; Sleep Journal gives them a diary. You get a dream journal with photos, notes on what shaped each night, AI dream analysis, word-based trends, a sleep target line, and PDF or Excel exports for your doctor. The two work together - import from Apple Health, or send your entries back to it.

How does AI help with sleep insights?

The AI in Sleep Journal reads the notes you write alongside your sleep times and points out what the two have in common. Note "coffee at 8pm" or "ran this morning" often enough and Trends will show your average sleep for each of those words, while the AI features can put the correlation into words - free every day for questions and quick answers, and in more depth with Pro.

Can I share sleep data with my doctor?

Yes - Sleep Journal exports your sleep history as PDF, CSV, Excel or JSON, ready to email or hand over at an appointment. Exports include your bedtimes, wake times, nightly totals and notes, which is exactly what a sleep clinic or CPAP review usually asks you to bring.

Does it track sleep quality or just duration?

Sleep Journal tracks duration precisely and quality in your own words. Bedtime, wake time and total sleep are numbers it calculates; how rested you felt, how long it took to drop off and what disturbed you go in the notes, where the AI can read them. There is no automatic sleep score - the app has no sensors to compute one from.

Is there a reminder to log sleep?

Yes - Sleep Journal can send a daily reminder at a time you choose, on the days of the week you choose. Most people set it for shortly after they usually wake up, so the night is still fresh - which matters twice over if you are writing down a dream.

Do you show ads or track me?

No. Sleep Journal has no ads at all. We don't track you across other apps or websites, and we never sell your data to advertisers.

Your data syncs via iCloud - just like Apple Notes and Photos. This means we don't need to know your email address, name, or any personal information. Your sleep data is stored on your devices and in your iCloud account, and it's completely private whether you use the free version or premium.

Do I need a subscription?

No - Sleep Journal is free to download, and every user gets real AI free every day, with no ads. All sleep logging, charts, statistics, Apple Health sync and exports are free, as are Quick Dream Analysis, Quick Chat, Ask a Question, Calm Me Down for Sleep and Make Me Laugh. An optional Pro subscription unlocks the deepest AI features - Pro Dream Analysis, the CPAP Report, Deep Research, Doctor Summary, Pattern Detective, Pro Chat and more - and raises the daily limits.

Can I import sleep from my Apple Watch?

Yes - Sleep Journal imports the sleep your Apple Watch recorded through Apple Health, so you don't have to retype nights your watch already captured. Grant read access once and you can pull in your history, or turn on auto-import so new nights arrive on their own. Where your watch recorded Core, REM and Deep stages, the app uses them to work out where each night began and ended.

What does the AI dream analysis actually do?

You write the dream in your entry notes, and Sleep Journal asks AI what it might mean. Quick Dream Analysis is free every day and comes back with three to five key symbols and possible meanings, the emotional tone of the dream, and a couple of questions to reflect on - and you can ask a follow-up. Pro Dream Analysis goes further, letting you pick a Jungian, Freudian, neuroscience or spiritual lens and building a personal symbol dictionary from the dreams you record over time. It is written for self-reflection and general interest, not as psychological advice.

Does the CPAP Report connect to my CPAP machine?

No - the CPAP Report in Sleep Journal reads what you log, not your machine. There is no Bluetooth pairing and no SD card import. You note the numbers your CPAP already shows you - hours used, AHI, mask or leak trouble - in your nightly entry, answer three optional questions about mask fit, leaks and how rested you feel, and the Pro report turns all of that into a summary of adherence, AHI trend and mask fit you can read or bring to your next appointment.

Is my dream journal private?

Your dream journal stays on your devices and in your own iCloud account - Sleep Journal has no account to create, so we never see your name or email. Nothing leaves your device until you tap an AI feature, and then only what that feature needs: the entries in the range you picked, plus any profile details you have chosen to share, which you can switch off in AI settings. You can also run AI entirely on-device with Apple Intelligence on supported hardware, in which case nothing leaves your iPhone, iPad or Mac at all.

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