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Sleep diary · watches and rings
Use your Apple Watch sleep in a sleep diary
Step by step: export your Apple Watch or iPhone sleep data from the Health app, then bring it into a free, private sleep diary for insomnia (CBT-I).
Step 1: export your data
- Open the Health app on your iPhone.
- Tap your picture or initials at the top right.
- Scroll down and tap Export All Health Data, then Export. It can take a few minutes if you have years of data.
- Save it to Files, or AirDrop or email it to the computer you will use.
Step 2: bring it into the diary
Open the sleep diary, tap From my watch or phone, then Choose file and pick the export.zip file from the Health app (or the export.xml inside it). You will see every night it found; tick the ones to add.
What the diary reads
Sleep stages (core, deep, REM), times awake, and the in-bed times your iPhone records if you use Sleep Focus or a bedtime schedule.
If only your watch recorded the night (no in-bed time from the iPhone), the diary marks that night so you can put in your real bedtime and get-up time.
🔒 Your file stays with you
The file is read inside your browser, on your own device. It is never uploaded to WhySigh or anyone else. The nights you add are saved in your browser, and if you sign in, as an encrypted copy only you can read.
🧭 Why you still check each night
Studies that compare watches and rings with sleep-lab tests find they estimate total sleep fairly well but are least accurate at telling when you are awake. And chasing better tracker numbers can itself make sleep worse; sleep researchers call it “orthosomnia”. A sleep diary for insomnia is about the night as you lived it, so the imported times are a starting point you confirm.
Sources: Kainec KA, Caccavaro J, Barnes M, et al. Evaluating accuracy in five commercial sleep-tracking devices compared to research-grade actigraphy and polysomnography. Sensors. 2024;24(2):635. → · Baron KG, Abbott S, Jao N, Manalo N, Mullen R. Orthosomnia: are some patients taking the quantified self too far? J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(2):351–354. →
Other watches and rings
Common questions
Where is the export button in the Health app?
Tap your picture or initials at the top right of the Health app's Summary screen. “Export All Health Data” is near the bottom of that page.
The export file is very big. Is that a problem?
No. The diary reads the file in pieces on your device and keeps only the sleep records. A large file just takes a little longer.
Is my health data uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read inside your browser on your own device. Nothing is sent to WhySigh or anyone else.
Does it cost anything?
No. The sleep diary and the import are free, with no ads and no sign-up.
Can a watch diagnose insomnia or sleep apnea?
No. A watch can help you notice patterns, but only a clinician can diagnose a sleep problem. Loud snoring, gasping at night or heavy daytime sleepiness are reasons to see a doctor.