Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
The app that actually treats insomnia
Most sleep apps help you relax tonight. Sleep Max runs CBT-I — the treatment sleep clinicians recommend before sleeping pills — as a guided program that adapts to your own sleep diary, week by week.
No account · your sleep data stays on your device · the program is free
If you've tried everything and still can't sleep
You've probably already done the obvious things — cut the late coffee, dimmed the screens, tried a sounds app, maybe a melatonin gummy. And you're still lying there at 3am doing mental arithmetic about how many hours are left.
That's because chronic insomnia isn't really a relaxation problem. It's a pattern problem: too much time awake in bed, a brain that has quietly learned bed means being awake, and a layer of worry about sleep sitting on top of it. Sleep hygiene tips don't shift that pattern. CBT-I is designed to.
What makes CBT-I different
It's a structured course, not a collection of tips — and it is the treatment that major clinical guidelines put first for chronic insomnia, ahead of sleeping pills. Its effects tend to hold after the programme ends, which is the part medication can't do. Compare CBT-I and sleeping pills →
How the program works
1. Log your nights
A 20-second sleep diary each morning. That's the raw material — the whole program is driven by your real data, not averages.
2. Get your sleep window
Sleep Max matches your time in bed to the sleep you're actually getting, so your nights consolidate into solid sleep instead of broken sleep.
3. Widen it as you improve
Each week it checks your sleep efficiency and gives you more time in bed as your sleep gets more solid — the standard CBT-I titration.
4. Unlock the rest
Stimulus control, then cognitive tools, relaxation and maintenance — introduced across seven weeks so you're never doing everything at once.
Sleep Max vs. a relaxation app
| Relaxation apps | Sleep Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Help you unwind tonight | Change the sleep pattern itself |
| Method | Meditations, sleep stories, sounds | The CBT-I protocol, guided over 7 weeks |
| Personalisation | You pick a track | Your sleep window is calculated and re-set weekly from your diary |
| Core feature price | Usually subscription-only | Free — we don't paywall the treatment |
| Your data | Account required, stored on their servers | Stays on your device. No account. |
What's free, and what isn't
The part that treats insomnia is free, deliberately — the CBT-I program, your sleep window, the weekly reviews, the diary and your insights. Sleep Max Plus ($4.99/month or $39.99/year) adds an AI sleep coach that answers questions in the context of your own plan, your full insight history, and every soundscape.
Before you start — the honest safety note
Sleep Max is a self-help tool based on CBT-I. It is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Sleep restriction is a real intervention and it usually makes you sleepier during the first week or two. Talk to a doctor before starting if you have a seizure disorder, bipolar disorder, untreated sleep apnea, or a job where being sleepy would be dangerous — such as driving or operating machinery. If your sleep problems persist or get worse, please see a clinician.
Common questions
Is the CBT-I program really free?
Yes — the full guided program, diary and sleep window, with no account. Plus is optional and adds the AI coach, full insight history and extra soundscapes.
How long does it take to work?
CBT-I is usually delivered over several weeks, and Sleep Max's course runs seven. Many people notice their sleep becoming more solid before it becomes longer — that consolidation is the first thing sleep restriction changes.
Do I need an account?
No. Sleep Max is local-first: your diary and results are stored on your own device, and there's no sign-up to use the program.
Is it on the App Store?
The iOS app is on its way. You can use the full program in your browser right now — open Sleep Max — and it works on your phone too.
Stop managing insomnia. Start treating it.
The full CBT-I program, free, with no account and nothing to cancel.