A sleep plan for South African adults. R199, once.
Your body is begging for sleep. Your brain won't shut off.
A sleep plan built from your answers, not a template with your name on it. Twenty-odd pages, a four-week schedule you can follow off your phone, and the reason behind every step. R199, once. If it doesn't help, you get it back.
3 free questions, about a minute. Then R199 once-off for your plan. No subscription. 30-day money back, no questions.
R199, once-off.
Nothing renews. Nothing to cancel.
30 days, money back, no questions.
Email us. That's the whole process.
Every claim carries a reference.
Check us at the back of your plan.
Read it tonight.
On screen in minutes. PDF in your inbox.
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Your sleep window
Sample plan23:30 to 05:00
- You're in bed about 8 hours 30.
- You're asleep about 5 hours 30.
- So we start with 5 hours 30 in bed.
- Never less than that.
The alarm is the part that doesn't move. 05:00, seven days, Saturday included. The bedtime moves later as your own numbers improve, and page 18 shows you how to move it yourself.
You'll probably be more tired in the day before you're less tired. That's the plan working, not failing. In a controlled study, people in the first three weeks of this lost between 69 and 91 minutes of sleep a night and were measurably slower in the day, and it settled by the three-month follow-up.
If any of this sounds like 3am at your house, keep reading.
These are other people's words, from public sleep forums. None of them are about us. They're here because it's how this actually feels, and because you've probably said one of them yourself.
Its 3am.. guess who's up?
from a public sleep forum my body is tired but my mind just stays anxious.
from a public sleep forum I just can't switch off from my own mind.
from a public sleep forum have you tried melatonin? YES I HAVE didnt work
from a public sleep forum Woke up at 1am with a hot flush...its now 4am and still wide awake
from a public sleep forum im always tired even if i sleep at 8 and wake up at 8
from a public South African forum, in a thread about sleep
You've probably got the list ready too. The melatonin. The magnesium. The chamomile. The advice about screens and going to bed earlier. This plan starts after that list.
What this isn't
Not a leaflet on the room and the routine.
You've had that. Room and routine are in your plan only where your answers say they matter.
Not a subscription.
R199 once. Nothing renews. Nothing to cancel.
Not a cure.
Some nights will still be rough, and the plan says so. Most people notice a real difference in two to four weeks, and it keeps improving after that.
Not a diagnosis.
We don't tell you what you've got. If something in your answers is worth a ten-minute chat with your GP, the plan says so in one friendly line and carries on.
Why the advice you've had didn't work, and what does
Nearly everything written about sleep is written for everyone. Same bedtime every night. No screens. No coffee after lunch. It isn't wrong. It just isn't about you, and for someone who has been awake at 3am for years it isn't a treatment. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says as much: in its 2021 guideline it advises against using the room-and-routine tips on their own as a treatment [1].
What does work is duller and more specific. A fixed wake time. A sleep window worked out from your own numbers, so your time in bed matches the sleep you're actually getting, then grows as your sleep does. A rule for the twenty minutes after you wake at 3am, so your brain stops learning that bed is where you lie awake and think. These are the working parts of the method sleep clinics use (it's called CBT-I). The same guideline gives it the only strong recommendation among insomnia treatments, on the strength of 49 studies [1]. In most of those studies people were falling asleep faster and waking less by week four to six, and the gains were still there a year later [2].
Your plan takes your numbers and does the sum for you.
- In bed 22:00 to 06:30. That's 8½ hours.
- Asleep about 5½ of them.
- Week 1 window: 23:30 to 05:00. Alarm at 05:00 every day, including Saturday.
- Never below 5½ hours. It moves as your numbers improve, and the plan shows you how to move it yourself.
Week 1 is the hardest. You'll probably be more tired in the day before you're less tired, and the plan says so before you start, along with what to do on the rough nights and a note about driving [3].
References for this section
American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline, behavioural and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia in adults, 2021. Strong recommendation for multicomponent CBT-I based on 49 studies; conditional recommendation against sleep hygiene as a single-component therapy. Open the study for reference 1, opens in a new tab
Walker J. et al., Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, a primer, 2022. Effect sizes of 1.0 to 1.2, about a 50% reduction in symptoms, gains maintained up to 24 months. Open the study for reference 2, opens in a new tab
Kyle S.D. et al., 2014. In a controlled study, people in the first three weeks of sleep restriction lost 69 to 91 minutes of sleep a night and were measurably sleepier and slower in the day; this settled by the three-month follow-up. Open the study for reference 3, opens in a new tab
How it works
- 1
Answer three questions. Free.
Which of these is your night, how long it's been like this, and what you've already tried. About a minute. No email needed.
- 2
Pay R199 once and finish the quiz.
About ten minutes, one question a screen. It asks about your hours, your tablets, your shifts, your kids, your room. Your answers save as you go, so a dropped connection or the power going won't lose them.
- 3
Read your plan tonight.
On screen within a few minutes, as a PDF you keep, and in your inbox. Read pages 1 to 3 tonight. Start on Sunday.
3 free questions, about a minute. Then R199 once-off for your plan. No subscription. 30-day money back, no questions.
What's in your plan
Twenty to thirty pages, depending on what your answers turn up. Every page below is built from something you told us. If a page doesn't apply to you, it isn't in your plan.
What we saw in your answers
Your own numbers read back to you: how long it takes you to fall asleep, what time you wake, how many nights a week, how long it's been going on.
Pages: 1 to 2
Why this is happening to you
The likely reason, for your pattern, in plain words. Not a diagnosis and not a lecture on what sleep is.
Pages: 1 to 2
Your sleep window
The sum, shown. Your fixed wake time, the hours in bed to start with, and why it is shorter than you expect.
Pages: 1
Your first three nights
Three things to do, with clock times, starting the night you read this.
Pages: 1
Week 1 to week 4
One page a week. What changes, what to keep, what to expect, and how to move your window using your own numbers.
Pages: 4
The bad-night page
For 3am. What to do in the first twenty minutes, in order, on one page you can read with one thumb.
Pages: 1
Your evening
Your last-coffee time and last-drink time worked out from your own bedtime. Nicotine too, if you told us.
Pages: 1 to 2
Your room
Heat, light, noise and the power going off, written for the room you described. Nothing you have to buy.
Pages: 1 to 2
Your head at 2am
The worry-time technique and what to do with thoughts that arrive at 2am, if that is your pattern.
Pages: 1 to 2
Supplements, honestly
What's on the shelf at Clicks and Dis-Chem, what the evidence actually says, and what to leave alone next to the tablets you take. No brands pushed, no links.
Pages: 1 to 2
Your tracker
Four weeks, a week to a page. Two numbers a night, and the sum that tells you when to move your window.
Pages: 4
After week 4, and what this plan can't do
How to keep adjusting on your own, plus the honest list of what a plan cannot fix and where a ten-minute chat with your GP is worth it.
Pages: 1 to 2
References
Every claim in your plan, numbered, with the study, how many people were in it, how long it ran, and a link.
Pages: 2 to 3
Three pages from a sample plan
This is a real plan built from one example set of answers, not a design mock-up. Yours will have your numbers in it.
Your sleep window
Sample plan23:30 to 05:00
- You're in bed about 8 hours 30.
- You're asleep about 5 hours 30.
- So we start with 5 hours 30 in bed.
- Never less than that.
The alarm is the part that doesn't move. 05:00, seven days, Saturday included. The bedtime moves later as your own numbers improve, and page 18 shows you how to move it yourself.
You'll probably be more tired in the day before you're less tired. That's the plan working, not failing. In a controlled study, people in the first three weeks of this lost between 69 and 91 minutes of sleep a night and were measurably slower in the day, and it settled by the three-month follow-up.
Your sleep window. The sum, shown, with the wake time that doesn't move. The bad-night page
Sample planFor 3am. Read this one only.
- Look at the clock once. Don't do the maths.
- Give it about twenty minutes. No counting, just a rough feel.
- Still awake? Get up. Go to the lounge.
- Low light. Something dull to read. No phone screen if you can help it.
- Back to bed when your eyes get heavy, not when the clock says so.
If this happens three nights in a row, it's a signal about your window, not about you. Page 18 tells you what to change.
The bad-night page. The page for 3am, written to be read with one thumb. Your tracker
Sample planTwo numbers a night, a week to a page.
A blank week of the tracker, with a row for each day and a column for each of the five things you write down. Day Lights out Roughly asleep at Woke in the night (how many times) Up at Rested out of 5 Mon Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank Tue Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank Wed Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank Thu Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank Fri Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank Sat Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank Sun Blank Blank Blank Blank Blank The sum, at the end of the week
- Add up the hours you were actually asleep.
- Divide by the hours you were in bed.
- Multiply by 100.
- 85 or more: Add 15 minutes to your window.
- 80 to 85: Keep it the same.
- Under 80: Take 15 minutes off, but never go below 5 hours 30.
Your tracker. Two numbers a night, and the sum that tells you when to give yourself more time in bed.
Built from example answers, not a real person's. Your plan is built from yours.
Every claim in your plan has a source, and a grade
We read the research so you don't have to, and then we show you where it came from. The library your plan is written from holds 61 references, and every claim in your plan carries the one it came from. Each one names the study, how many people were in it, how long it ran, and a link you can open.
We also tell you how strong each one is. Some sleep advice rests on large trials that were repeated. Some rests on one small study. Some is common sense that has never really been tested. Those are not the same thing, and your plan doesn't pretend they are.
| Grade | What it means | Example of what gets it |
|---|---|---|
| A | Large or repeated trials, or a guideline built on many of them. | The sleep window and the fixed wake time. |
| B | Good evidence, smaller or narrower. | Worry time for racing thoughts at bedtime. |
| C | Mixed or early evidence. Worth trying, not worth relying on. | Most supplements sold for sleep. |
| D | Widely repeated, thinly tested. | Some of the room-and-routine advice you've already read. |
If a page in your plan tells you to do something, it says why, and the why has a number next to it.
What R199 gets you
Your personalised sleep plan. Twenty to thirty pages built from your answers, on screen, as a PDF, and in your inbox.
Your sleep window, worked out. Your own numbers, the sum shown, and the wake time to hold.
Four weeks, one change at a time. A page a week, with what to expect before you get there.
The 3am page. One page for the worst twenty minutes of the night.
Your room, your evening. Heat, light, noise, the power going off, your last coffee and your last drink, worked out from your own times.
The supplement safety guide. What's on the shelf here, what the evidence says, and what to leave alone next to your tablets.
A four-week tracker, and the sum to keep using after. So you can keep adjusting your own window without us.
A link that lasts, and the references. No password, no account, and every claim numbered with its source.
R199. Once.
No subscription. Nothing renews. Nothing else to buy.
3 free questions, about a minute. Then R199 once-off for your plan. No subscription. 30-day money back, no questions.
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Instant EFT
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Capitec Pay
Prices checked 6 September 2026.
The 30-night guarantee
If it doesn't help, email us within 30 days and you get your money back. No questions.
No form. No "did you complete the programme". No proof. You email info@bettertoday.co.za, we refund the R199 within two working days, and your bank shows it a few days after that. You keep the PDF.
You keep the PDF. We're not going to ask for it back, and we're not going to make you argue for R199.
We wrote it this way because the guarantees in this category usually have a catch in them, and people have learned to expect one. There isn't one here. The wording above is the whole policy, and it's the same wording on our refunds page.
This sits on top of your rights under South African consumer law, and takes nothing away from them. See our refunds page. Refunds page
First sleepers
There are no reviews here yet. When there are, they'll be real ones from people who paid R199, with their first name, their town and the date, and we'll publish the bad ones too.
Until then, the honest things we can show you are the sample plan, the research behind it, and the refund policy. They're all above.
If you've bought a plan and want to leave a review, reply to your plan email. We publish what you write, we don't edit it.
What else R199 could go to
Four honest options for the same problem. We've put ours in the same table, at the same size.
This plan
- What it costs
- R199, once
- What you get
- A plan built from your answers, four weeks laid out, and the reasons
- What it asks of you
- About ten minutes of questions, then four weeks of following it
- Who it's best for
- You've read the advice, you want it applied to your night, once, cheaply
A psychologist
- What it costs
- About R1,300 a session on the 2026 medical-aid tariff, and a course is 6 to 8 sessions [a]
- What you get
- The method itself, done properly, with a person who adjusts it for you
- What it asks of you
- Six to eight appointments, in office hours, usually with a referral
- Who it's best for
- You can afford it and you want a human adjusting the plan every week
A sleep or meditation app
- What it costs
- Calm R249.99 a month or R799.99 a year. Headspace R59.99 a month or R599.99 a year. Both renew [b]
- What you get
- Sounds, stories, tracking, and a library to work out yourself
- What it asks of you
- Opening the app most nights and choosing what to play
- Who it's best for
- You want something to listen to, not a plan to follow
Carrying on as you are
- What it costs
- R180 to R430 a bottle. Three months of trying things is R540 to R1,290 [c]
- What you get
- The tea, the tablets and the tips, in whatever order you find them
- What it asks of you
- Nothing, which is why it keeps going
- Who it's best for
- Nobody, honestly
| This plan | A psychologist | A sleep or meditation app | Carrying on as you are | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it costs | R199, once | About R1,300 a session on the 2026 medical-aid tariff, and a course is 6 to 8 sessions [a] | Calm R249.99 a month or R799.99 a year. Headspace R59.99 a month or R599.99 a year. Both renew [b] | R180 to R430 a bottle. Three months of trying things is R540 to R1,290 [c] |
| What you get | A plan built from your answers, four weeks laid out, and the reasons | The method itself, done properly, with a person who adjusts it for you | Sounds, stories, tracking, and a library to work out yourself | The tea, the tablets and the tips, in whatever order you find them |
| What it asks of you | About ten minutes of questions, then four weeks of following it | Six to eight appointments, in office hours, usually with a referral | Opening the app most nights and choosing what to play | Nothing, which is why it keeps going |
| Who it's best for | You've read the advice, you want it applied to your night, once, cheaply | You can afford it and you want a human adjusting the plan every week | You want something to listen to, not a plan to follow | Nobody, honestly |
[a] Medical-aid tariff for a 51 to 60 minute session, R1,244.90 to R1,383.20 depending on scheme, checked 6 September 2026. Source: psydev.co.za (opens in a new tab). [b] South African App Store, checked 6 September 2026. Sources: Calm (opens in a new tab) and Headspace (opens in a new tab). [c] Dis-Chem sleep-support products, R179.99 to R429.99, checked 6 September 2026. Source: dischem.co.za (opens in a new tab). Prices change; these are what we found on that date.
Questions people ask before they pay
I've tried everything. How is this different?
Everything you've tried was written for everyone. This is written from your answers: your wake time, your worst hour, your shifts, your heat, your tablets. If your problem is waking at 3am and doing the maths, your plan is about that, and it won't spend a page telling you to avoid screens.
Is this just sleep hygiene? I can get that free on any forum.
Yes, you can, and you already have. That's why the plan doesn't start there. It starts with a sleep window worked out from your own numbers and a wake time that doesn't move, which is the part the forums never do for you. Room and routine are in there only where your answers say they matter.
Why do I pay before the full quiz? Every other quiz is free.
Because the plan is the product, not the quiz. The three questions at the start are free and you get a real answer from them before any money comes up. After that, the quiz, which takes about ten minutes, and the twenty-odd pages it produces are the thing you're buying, so they sit on the same side of the payment. If you'd rather see what you're buying first, read the sample plan; it's the whole thing, built from example answers.
Read the sample planIs this a subscription? What's the catch?
No. R199 once. You get a PDF, a link that works for good, and an email. There's nothing to cancel because nothing renews, and there's nothing else to buy afterwards.
Is a real person behind this, or is it a bot?
A person built it, chose the research, wrote the templates and reads every reply. Your plan is put together by software from your answers, using those templates and that research, which is how it can be ready in minutes and cost R199. Email us and Sebastian answers.
info@bettertoday.co.zaWhat if it doesn't work for me?
If it doesn't help, email us within 30 days and you get your money back. No questions. No form, no "did you complete it", no proof.
R199 is a lot for a PDF.
It is twenty-odd pages about your sleep, with the reasons, the research and a four-week plan you can follow off your phone. It's less than one bottle of sleep supplements at Dis-Chem. And if it doesn't help, you get it back, so the most it costs you is about ten minutes of questions.
How long before I sleep better?
Most people notice a real difference in two to four weeks, and it keeps improving after that. The first week is usually the hardest. Your plan tells you what week 1 will feel like before you start it.
I've heard the sleep-window thing is brutal.
It can be, for the first week or two, and we say so before you pay rather than after. Your window never goes below five and a half hours, it grows as your own numbers improve, and there's a page for the bad nights and a note about driving.
I'm on sleeping tablets or antidepressants. Is this safe for me?
The quiz asks. The plan will never tell you to stop or change anything you've been prescribed, and it leaves out any supplement that shouldn't sit next to what you take. Where it's worth a conversation with your GP or pharmacist, it says so in one line, without drama.
I've got a baby, or I work nights. Sleep advice never fits my life.
The quiz asks about your shifts and your kids, and the plan changes because of it. Nobody with a four-month-old gets told to aim for eight hours. You get a plan for the sleep you can actually protect.
What do you do with my answers? Will you spam me?
Your answers are used to write your plan and for nothing else. You get your plan by email and that's it. No list, no sequence, no offers. We don't sell your details, and we don't send your answers to advertising platforms. The privacy page says exactly where they go and how to have them deleted.
Read the privacy pageHow do I pay?
Card, instant EFT from your bank, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Capitec Pay, through Stitch. We never see your card details. On your statement it shows as BETTER TODAY.
What if the plan doesn't arrive?
It's usually on your screen within a few minutes and in your inbox just after. If it hasn't arrived, go to bettertoday.co.za/my-plan, type the email you paid with, and we'll send the link again straight away. If that doesn't work, email us and a person will fix it.
Find my planCan I read it on my phone? What if I'm short on data?
Yes. The web version is built to be light and it works on a slow connection. The PDF is there when you want to save or print it, and you can open it later on wifi.
Is this medical advice?
No. It's educational, about sleep habits and timing, and it can't diagnose anything. Better Today isn't a medical practice and the person behind it isn't a doctor. If something in your answers is worth a chat with your GP, the plan says so in one line and carries on. See our medical disclaimer.
Read the medical disclaimer3 free questions, about a minute. Then R199 once-off for your plan. No subscription. 30-day money back, no questions.
Why this exists
I'm Sebastian. I built Better Today, and the sleep plan is the first thing it does.
Here's what I can tell you about how it's made. I'm not a doctor and I don't pretend to be one. I read the research, I picked the methods that have the strongest evidence behind them, and I built a template that applies them to your answers instead of handing you the same page everyone else gets. Every claim in your plan has its source printed next to it, so you can check me.
If something in your plan is wrong, or unclear, or just doesn't fit your life, email me. I read every one. And if it doesn't help you, ask for the R199 back and you'll get it.
Sebastian
info@bettertoday.co.zaStart with three questions
They take about a minute, they're free, and you get a real answer at the end of them before anything is asked of you. If you want the full plan after that, it's R199 once, and if it doesn't help, email us within 30 days and you get your money back. No questions.
3 free questions, about a minute. Then R199 once-off for your plan. No subscription. 30-day money back, no questions.
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Instant EFT
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Capitec Pay