Why Sleepio and Daylight belong in the conversation around self management

• Written by: Greig Thomson — Big Health — National Delivery and Service Improvement Lead - Digital Mental Health
• Published: 13th May 2026

Find out more about these digital self management tools and how to get in touch to arrange an information session.

Poor sleep and persistent worry are two of the most common and most treatable challenges for people living with long term conditions in Scotland. They sit alongside almost every physical condition, from arthritis and chronic pain to COPD, diabetes, and cancer, as well as the daily reality of caring for someone else. Too often they are treated as secondary, something people are expected to live with.

I work in partnership with NHS Scotland on the implementation of the Sleepio app and the Daylight app, two evidence-based digital treatments for adults that provide cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), the approach NICE recommends as a first-line treatment for insomnia and for anxiety. Sleepio is recommended by name in NICE guidance for adults with poor sleep and insomnia. Daylight provides NICE-recommended CBT for adults with anxiety and worry. Both are available across NHS Scotland at no cost to the person, accessed on a smartphone, in their own time and at home.

Here is the part that often gets missed: Sleepio and Daylight are not wellbeing apps. They are regulated medical devices, tested in randomised controlled trials, and built around structured CBT programmes shaped by clinical evidence. They are treatments, not tips.

That distinction matters for self management. The Gaun Yersel strategy describes self management as a person centred process where the individual is the leading partner in managing their own life and conditions, supported by the right information, tools, and services. Sleepio and Daylight put that principle into practice. The person decides when to start, how often to engage, and what to focus on. There is no waiting list, no appointment, no travel. The treatment fits around life, rather than asking life to fit around it.

For clinicians, link workers, nurses, pharmacy teams, and third sector colleagues, this means there are two clinically proven options you can confidently signpost to the adults you support, sitting alongside the care you already provide. They do not compete with existing pathways. They support them. For people with lived experience, it means a way to start working on sleep or anxiety today, without waiting for a referral or fitting into someone else’s diary.

Both treatments are already in use across Scotland. Adults are accessing them directly, and a growing network of professionals are including them in the support they offer. The question is no longer whether digital treatments belong in the self management conversation. They do. The question is how we make sure the people who would benefit most actually hear about them.

Access Sleepio and Daylight

Adults in Scotland can access Sleepio at www.sleepio.com/nhs and Daylight at trydaylight.com/nhs.

Training to support your team

If you would value a short training session for your team, group, or service, I would be glad to arrange one. Sessions are free, can be delivered online or in person, and cover what the treatments are, the evidence behind them, and how to talk about them with the adults you support.

Get in touch by emailing greig.thomson@bighealth.com

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