Over the last couple of weeks, I've been using an app called SleepBot in the hopes of figuring out why I sometimes have trouble sleeping.

SleepBot is a sleep log and smart alarm clock, waking you up at the most optimal time based on your breathing.

SleepBot also tracks your movements and records sound throughout the night. That way you can better understand what affects your sleep.

SleepBot launched on iOS in May, but it's been available on Android since 2010.

It took a while to launch on iOS because SleepBot actually started as a joke, SleepBot founder Jane Zhu tells Business Insider.

Zhu and her friends built the app while at New York University so they could compete to see who got the least amount of sleep during finals. But the app eventually amassed millions of downloads and even won an NYU Stern Entrepreneurship challenge. 

Now, SleepBot is a full-fledged business based in New York.

I've realized a few things about my sleeping habits since using SleepBot:

  • Even though I got my tonsils removed a few years back, I still snore a bit. I imagine it's not as bad as it used to be, but it's definitely still a minor issue.
  • One night I screamed while tossing and turning, but didn't wake up (see graph below).  I remember while growing up, my mom would sometimes shriek in the middle of the night after  she had a stressful day. My scream wasn't quite as extreme, but I'm still going to bring it up to my doctor next time I see her. 
  • I tend to wake up every night around 4 a.m., but I still can't pinpoint why. 
sleepbot megan


The arrow points to the time when I was screaming. You can also see that I woke up around 4am and started making a bunch of noise.