Frequently asked questions

Hvil® is an app that helps you understand what affects your sleep, and gives you the tools to establish new habits, thoughts and behavior around your sleep so you can sleep better.

Hvil® stands out because it was developed by Danish researchers and a Danish IT company, and its efficacy has been tested through research to ensure the highest quality and most effective treatment for sleep problems. In addition to Professor Bobby Zachariae playing a key role in the development of Hvil®, his voice also contributes to the relaxation sound exercises that are a part of the Hvil® program.

Hvil® is available for both Android and iPhone smartphones. You can freely install Hvil® in the App Store and Google Play, but you need a Hvil® code to get started with a sleep program.

Du kan købe adgang her: https://hvil.azurewebsites.net/da/pricing

Hvil® is based on cognitive behavioral therapy that aim to improve sleep habits, sleep efficiency and sleep in general.

Hvil® is based on non-medical aids and consists of a combination of advice, guidance and activities aimed at providing the user with more and better sleep.

The effect of these advice and guidance therefore does not have side effects that medical treatment can cause.

Hvil® consists of tools and activities that will help you get better sleep. One of the component in a sleep program is called sleep restriction.

Sleep restriction assigns you a sleep window which typically means that you must limit your sleep for a period of time. Side effects that you may experience with sleep restriction include:

• A temporary increase in sleepiness and fatigue

• Decreased alertness and reaction time

• Reduced motivation/energy 

• Headaches

• Side effects typically subside as sleep improves.

• Side effects typically reduce as your sleep improves.

We do not recommend sleep restriction for you where the side effects may be a safety concern (e.g. fatigue/reduced alertness in long-term drivers, brain surgeons, etc.).

Similar side effects such as temporary increase in sleepiness, fatigue and decreased alertness may also occur with stimulus control.

NOTE! When we put together a sleep programme for you, we will ask you a series of questions that will help us to assess, whether sleep restriction fits in with your lifestyle.

Hvil® is for anyone experiencing poor sleep and is designed to help you track your sleep history and assess your sleep quality.

Hvil® offers advice, guidance and tools to help you get even more and better sleep, which can benefit everyone.

The app is not designed to remedy sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, sleepwalking or night terrors.

The sleep program includes daily activities to help you develop better sleep habits. If you make sure to complete all your activities every day, new activities will be introduced along the way.

Changing habits takes time and effort, and how long it takes to change varies from person to person. The length of your sleep journey depends on how your sleep progresses, which is a mix of establishing new habits, thoughts and behaviors around your sleep. We recommend at least 9 weeks to allow your new sleep habits to become ingrained.

The first time you use Hvil®, you will be helped to allow notifications/reminders on your smartphone.

If you want to check whether notifications/reminders are still correctly activated, open the Hvil® app on your smartphone and go to settings (click on the gear wheel at the top right) and select "Reminders" in the menu. Here you can check and update your settings.

For iPhone users

Many users use the "Do Not Disturb" function at bedtime to avoid the risk of waking up if a text message or notification ticks in during the night. This also means that you generally do not receive notifications/reminders from Hvil®.

To allow Hvil® to provide notifications/reminders even if your smartphone is set to "Do Not Disturb", do the following:

1. Go to Settings" > "Do Not Disturb" (Can also be called "Focus").

2. Go to "Allowed Notifications"

3. Here you add Hvil®

For Android users

1. Go to "Settings" > "Notifications".

2. Find and click Hvil and check if notifications are turned on.

Read more on Google's support site here.

Hvil® is a mobile-based app. This means you can download it to your smartphone through the App Store or Google Play.

To get into the app, you need to redeem a Hvil®-code. You can get a Hvil® code by:

• Requesting access through a sleep coach

• Buy a Hvil®-code here on the website. Find it here: https://hvil.app/da/pricing

To get access to Hvil®, you need to redeem a Hvil®-code. You can either purchase a Hvil® code through a sleep coach or here on the website. Find the direct link here: https://hvil.app/da/pricing.

Once you have your Hvil® code, redeem it in the app and you're good to go.

You can stop your program at any time. You can get an overview of your active programs under "Program" in the app. This is also where you can stop them. You do this by:

1. Open Hvil®

2. Click on "Program"

3. Click the "Read more" button on the active program

4. Click the red "Stop program" button at the bottom

Hvil® subscriptions are linked to your iOS/Android account. To cancel a subscription, please read the guide that matches your device, and follow the steps.

iOs / App Store guide

Android / Google Play guide

If you don’t see Cancel Subscription, the subscription should already be canceled and won't renew.

NOTE: Cancelling a subscription must be done 24 hours before the end of a subscription period.

We are committed to customer satisfaction and offer a Money Back Guarantee.

If you go through your 9-week sleep program and your sleep does not improve, we will refund you the full sleep program.

If you think you qualify for the Money Back Guarantee, please email us at info@hvil.dk. We will get back to you within 2-3 business days.

Hvil® is your personal sleep diary and helps track your sleep from day to day. This is done through a series of daily questions, which give you insight into the effect and development of your sleep.

A Hvil® sleep program includes several daily activities that can help support better sleep. The activities are divided into 5 categories and include audio exercises, bedtime optimization and cognitive exercises.

Changing habits takes time and effort, and how long it takes to change varies from person to person.

This is because the length of your sleep cycle is dependent on whether you complete your daily activities and how your sleep progresses. How your sleep progresses is a mix of establishing new habits, thoughts and behaviors around your sleep.

We recommend at least 9 weeks to allow your new sleep habits to become ingrained.

Hvil® contains sound exercises where we recommend that you find a place where you can concentrate and be undisturbed. Headphones can make it easier to concentrate.

The purpose of a sleep window is to increase your sleep pressure, so that the time you spend in bed is time you spend sleeping.

Hvil® tailors the optimal sleep window for you based on your data. Your sleep window is adjusted each week so you have time to get used to it gradually.

Many people find it very challenging to keep to their sleep window - and that's perfectly normal.

The disadvantage of an adapted sleep window is that you will probably feel more tired during the day, and especially in the evening, than you usually do. This is unavoidable and is precisely one of the main points of sleep restriction. It is known that this reset can be highly effective and although the cost is sleepiness and fatigue - especially at first - persistence will pay off.

We understand why you might think syncing up your smart watch with the sleep diary would be convenient.

By manually inputting information about your sleep, we encourage you to be more mindful, making you pay attention to every little detail of your sleep routine.

This reflection exercise is paramount in fostering a deeper understanding of your sleep habits, and cultivates a sense of self-awareness, making informed adjustments, and ultimately improve your sleep quality over time.

So, Hvil® is all about getting you to reflect about your sleep, not just passively collect data.

You have been given a narrow sleep window as we can see from your entries that your sleep is not very efficient. This means that you are likely to be awake for much of the time you spend in bed.

We want to emphasize that this is because it may be necessary, especially in the beginning, to limit the time you spend in bed to maximize the time you actually sleep. This is done by building up more sleep pressure, which makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. It also helps you unlearn the habit of being in bed without sleeping.

If you maintain high sleep efficiency over several days, you'll soon find that your sleep window expands.

Especially at the beginning of the sleep cycle, sleep restriction can make you feel more tired during the day than usual, especially in the evening.

This is completely normal and helps you build up more sleep pressure, which helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep during the night.

There may be some side effects associated with sleep optimization, especially initially, such as increased fatigue, irritability and other negative effects. These negative effects typically diminish as sleep improves.

We strongly recommend that you follow the sleep window you have been given as much as possible, unless the side effects are deemed to endanger your safety or the safety of others (e.g. fatigue/decreased alertness in long-distance drivers, air traffic controllers, surgeons, etc.)

Your sleep window is calculated based on your sleep efficiency and your desired wake-up time. Therefore, it's important that you choose a time that you think it's possible for you to adhere to every day of the week.

Once you have chosen a wake-up time, we first need to see how your sleep develops with the recommended sleep window.

Once you have completed your daily activities every day for 7 days, it is possible to change your wake-up time in the "How is it going with your sleep window? activity that appears on your front page.

The activity also evaluates how your sleep quality has evolved and whether you have followed your sleep window sufficiently.

However, we strongly recommend that you change your wake-up time as little as possible, as a regular wake-up time is important for the outcome.

Your sleep window is continuously adjusted based on your sleep efficiency and how well you follow your sleep window.

You should therefore complete your daily activities in Hvil every day for 7 days. Afterwards, your sleep is evaluated in the activity "How is it going with your sleep window?", which will appear on the "Home" page.

Based on how your sleep has progressed, you will receive either:

- A new sleep window, which can be expanded or contracted

- The same sleep window

If you haven't expanded your sleep window, it could be due to several reasons.

To extend your sleep window, you need to have met two criteria in the last 7 check-ins:

- You must have a sleep quality of 85% or above on average

- You must follow your sleep window by +/- 20 minutes on average

If you don't meet these two criteria, you will either keep your current sleep window or have your sleep window reduced.

You can track your progress against these criteria in your morning check-in or under "Progress".

The ultimate goal of working with the sleep window is not to get as much sleep as possible, but to get enough consistent, good quality sleep that leaves you feeling sufficiently rested and energized during the day.

If you sleep between the recommended 7-8 hours and have a high sleep efficiency, you have reached your sleep goal.

However, it's important to note that overall sleep needs are individual. If you achieve high sleep efficiency and feel rested and refreshed during the day after 5-6 hours of sleep, that's fine too.