A woman asleep in white bedding beside a vase of cotton stems

A 21-day plan · Sleep

Fall asleep faster

For nights when sleep takes ages to come. At most three required habits, a few minutes a day, for three weeks.

Up at your wake-up time
Caffeine cutoff
Bed is for sleep
Evening wind-down
Magnesium add-on

Download on the App Store GET IT ON Google Play

Run it in the By Day app on iPhone or Android.

For you if

It usually takes you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.
Your mind gets busy as soon as the light goes off.
You end up scrolling in bed, waiting to feel sleepy.

You’ll need

A phone alarm.
Something calm to do if you get up at night, like a paper book or a puzzle.
Optional supplement: Magnesium add-on, from day 8. You can skip it.

How you’ll know

You fall asleep sooner than in your first week. Your morning notes will show it.
Bed feels like a place to sleep, not a place to lie awake.
Your mornings start at the same time without a fight.

What runs when

Days 1–21

Set-upChoose your wake-up time · Choose your caffeine cutoff set-up, day 1
Up at your wake-up time required, days 2 to 21
Caffeine cutoff required, days 2 to 21
Bed is for sleep required, days 3 to 21
Evening wind-downoptional optional, days 5 to 21
Magnesium add-onoptional · never required optional, days 8 to 21

Usually 3 required habits a day, never more than three. Day 1 is set-up: choose your wake-up time and choose your caffeine cutoff. Optional rows never count toward your results or a lifetime place.

Checkpoints

Day1
Set-up: choose your wake-up time, then choose your caffeine cutoff. Set a reminder for each.
Day3
The fixed wake-up time feels hard. That's normal, and it builds sleepiness for the evening.
Day7
Getting up when you can't sleep starts to feel routine.
Day8
Week-one check-in: a short look back, then keep going or stop. Stopping never counts against you.
Day14
Compare your notes with week one. Some people are falling asleep sooner by now; for others it takes longer. Keep the wake-up time steady, because it's the slowest part to work.
Day21
Decide what to keep. The wake-up time and the get-up rule are the two to hold on to.

Why it works

Three things often keep people awake: a body clock that runs late, a brain that has learned bed is where you lie awake, and caffeine still working hours after the last cup. Getting up at the same time every day sets the clock. Leaving bed when you can't sleep teaches your brain that bed means sleep. A caffeine cutoff clears the way.

The core habits come from CBT-I, the therapy doctors recommend first for long-term insomnia: a fixed wake-up time, and getting out of bed when you can't sleep. This program borrows them for everyday trouble falling asleep; it is not a replacement for therapy. The effect of caffeine on sleep is well established. The evidence for magnesium is limited.Sources

Results

If you connect Apple Health, Health Connect or Oura, the plan adds time to fall asleep and total sleep, measured against your first nights and marked still forming until day 14. What you notice yourself is the main measure.

Before you start

This is a wellness program, not a treatment. If poor sleep has gone on for 3 months or more and affects your days, talk to a doctor. A therapy called CBT-I is the recommended treatment.
Loud snoring, pauses in breathing at night, or dozing off during the day can be signs of a sleep disorder. Please see a doctor.
Not designed for night shifts or rotating shifts.
A fixed wake-up time can leave you sleepier for the first few days. Don't drive or use machinery if you feel very sleepy.
Before trying the magnesium add-on, check with a clinician if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, have kidney problems, or take other medicines.

Access

Now: Free, with every feature, during the open beta. No card, no end date yet.
A lifetime place: Finish your first full 21-day plan during the beta with at least 80% of its required habits done and, if fewer than 200 people have qualified before you, Explorer is yours for life straight away. Stopping early doesn’t count against you; the first plan you run to its end is the one that counts.
After the beta: One active plan, daily habits, mood, recaps and history stay free. Explorer, the paid tier, adds every plan and connected health readings.
Where: The By Day app on iPhone and Android, to run it and to look back.