The CBT-I for insomnia sleep diary turns one week of your own nights into two numbers CBT-I programs watch: your average time asleep and your sleep efficiency. The infographic shows what to track. The tool below does the math for you and gives you notes to bring to your clinician or program.
An educational picture and tool, not a diagnosis or medical advice. It never sets your bedtime or your sleep window.
How to use the CBT-I for insomnia sleep diary
In about two minutes you get your averages and a short note you can copy or print.
- Keep notes for a week or two โ Mayo Clinic suggests a detailed sleep diary for 1 to 2 weeks before treatment starts.
- Enter each night โ when you got into bed, when you got out, and the minutes you lay awake.
- Count the early wake-up on its own โ the time awake after your final waking, before you got up.
- Read your averages โ the bars and the marker move as you type.
- Copy or print the note โ then talk it through with your clinician or program.
No notes yet? Print the blank 14-night diary and start tonight. If you have bipolar disorder, seizures, strong daytime sleepiness or another condition in the alert below, talk to a clinician before you change your sleep schedule. The safety checks before CBT-I explain why.
Free sleep diary
Sleep diary and sleep efficiency calculator
Your average time asleep, time in bed and sleep efficiency in about two minutes.
Before you change your sleep schedule: the VA/DoD patient guide says CBT-I may need to be tailored or delayed if you have an unstable medical condition, an active alcohol or drug use disorder, strong daytime sleepiness, an uncontrolled seizure disorder, bipolar disorder, an acute mental health condition, or are in exposure-based PTSD treatment. Talk to a clinician first.
The live tool needs JavaScript. The examples below show each possible result.
Enter at least one full night (into bed, out of bed and the three awake times) to see your averages.
Example: if your average sleep efficiency is 85% or higher
Your result: about 88% of your time in bed was sleep
Over 7 night(s) you slept about 6 h 10 min of 7 h 0 min in bed. Many CBT-I programs use 85% as a line when they review your diary. What to change, if anything, is your clinician’s or program’s call.
Open next: how to keep your gains when sleep improves
Example: if your average sleep efficiency is under 85%
Your result: about 70% of your time in bed was sleep
Over 7 night(s) you slept about 5 h 30 min of 7 h 50 min in bed. Lying awake for long stretches is common in insomnia, and it’s exactly what CBT-I works on. A clinician or program uses these numbers to plan your next step. Don’t cut your time in bed on your own.
Open next: how sleep restriction works with a clinician
Example: if a night doesn’t add up
Check your entries
One night has more awake minutes than time in bed, or more than 16 hours in bed. Fix that night and the result comes back. We can’t say anything useful from numbers that don’t fit together.
Open next: what to write in each diary field
CBT-I sleep diary ยท ZenSleepZone.com โ bring it to your clinician or program.
| Night | Into bed | Out of bed | Minutes to fall asleep | Minutes awake in the night | Minutes awake before getting up | Notes (naps, caffeine, alcohol) |
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What your sleep efficiency means and what to do next
Sleep efficiency is the share of your time in bed that you spent asleep. It's your own arithmetic: time asleep divided by time in bed. It shows how much of the night you lie awake. It doesn't say what's causing it, and it isn't a diagnosis.
For example, imagine 8 hours in bed with 30 minutes to fall asleep, 60 minutes awake in the night and 30 minutes awake before getting up. That's 6 hours asleep, so sleep efficiency is 75%. In CBT-I, a clinician uses numbers like these to set and adjust your plan week by week. Bring the printed note to that conversation. The CBT-I Compass helps you choose a safe place to start.
What a CBT-I sleep diary tracks, panel by panel
A week of honest notes shows where the night goes.
- Note each night โ Into bed, out of bed and the minutes you lay awake. Mayo Clinic suggests 1 to 2 weeks.
- Count the early waking โ Time awake after your final waking counts as time awake in bed.
- See your sleep efficiency โ Time asleep divided by time in bed. It's your own arithmetic.
- Bring it to your clinician โ CBT-I uses your diary to set and adjust the plan each week.
- Check safety first โ Some conditions need CBT-I tailored or delayed. Talk to a clinician before changing your schedule.
Each part of the plan is explained in the week-by-week CBT-I guide. The CBT-I mind map shows how the pieces fit together.
The rules behind this tool
| If youโฆ | The tool showsโฆ | Becauseโฆ |
|---|---|---|
| Fill at least one full night | Average time in bed, time asleep and sleep efficiency | Your own arithmetic: time asleep = time in bed minus the three awake times |
| Get 85% or more | "About X% of your time in bed was sleep" + keeping your gains | Many CBT-I worksheets use 85% when they review a diary (University of Pennsylvania, 2021) |
| Get under 85% | Your numbers + why to plan the next step with a clinician | Changes to time in bed belong to a supervised plan (AASM, 2021) |
| Enter fewer than 3 nights | A note that a week or two works better | Mayo Clinic suggests a diary for 1 to 2 weeks |
| Enter a night that doesn't add up | "Check your entries" | We can't say anything from numbers that don't fit together |
This tool never gives a bedtime, a wake time or a sleep window. Those come from your clinician or program, who also checks the conditions in the alert above.
See how much CBT-I tends to help
The CBT-I statistics show the changes trials measured, with who they apply to. More in Sleep Solutions.
See the numbers โSources
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine โ Behavioral and Psychological Treatments for Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults (2021). Supports: temporary sleepiness early in treatment; supervised sleep restriction.
- VA/DoD โ Treating Insomnia with Behavior Change: A Patient's Guide (2025). Supports: who needs CBT-I tailored or delayed.
- Mayo Clinic โ Insomnia treatment: Cognitive behavioral therapy instead of sleeping pills (2023). Supports: keeping a diary for 1 to 2 weeks.
- University of Pennsylvania โ Sleep Opportunity Alteration Instructions (2021). Supports: the 85% line used when a diary is reviewed.
Sources checked ยท Next review
How we made this page: infographic and tool rules built from the sources above, drafted with AI assistance and edited by Aamir Bashir, Founder & Editor. Read our editorial policy.
