How to Keep a Sleep Diary

A sleep diary is a tool you use to track your sleep habits. It’s like a journal where you write down when you go to bed, when you wake up, and how well you sleep each night. You also record things that might affect your sleep, such as what you eat or drink before bed.

The main purpose of a sleep diary is to help you understand your sleep patterns better. You might keep one if you’re concerned about a possible sleep disorder.

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By keeping track of your sleep over time, you can spot problems and find ways to improve your rest. Doctors often ask patients to keep sleep diaries to help figure out what’s causing sleep issues and how to fix them.

Why Keep a Sleep Diary?

Keeping a sleep diary can greatly improve your sleep quality and overall health. Let’s explore the main reasons why you should start tracking your sleep habits.

Identify Sleep Patterns

Your sleep diary helps you see how you sleep over time. You might notice that you sleep better on certain days or after doing specific activities.

By writing down your bedtime, wake time, and how long you sleep each night, you can find your natural sleep rhythm. This information helps you adjust your schedule to get the best sleep possible.

Spot Sleep Problems

A sleep diary makes it easier to notice issues with your sleep. You might realize you wake up a lot at night or have trouble falling asleep after eating certain foods.

By tracking these details, you can pinpoint what’s disrupting your rest. This awareness is the first step to fixing sleep problems and getting better quality sleep.

Help Doctors Diagnose Issues

Doctors find sleep diaries very useful when treating sleep disorders. Your diary gives them a clear picture of your sleep habits over time. This information helps them spot patterns that might point to specific sleep problems.

With your sleep diary, doctors can make better decisions about tests or treatments you might need to improve your sleep.

Track Your Progress

Trying out new sleep strategies or an improved bedtime routine? Your diary is the perfect scorecard.

Whether you’re cutting back on time or adding a new winding-down activity, you can see what’s working and what’s not. It’s like having a personal sleep coach cheering you on.

How to Start

Starting a sleep diary is easy and can make a big difference in understanding your sleep. Follow these simple steps to begin tracking your sleep habits effectively.

Choose a Format

You can keep your sleep diary on paper or use a digital app. Pick what works best for you.

A paper diary is simple and doesn’t need charging, but you have to remember to carry it around. You can fill out a notebook or print off simple blank tables to fill out each morning and stick them in a folder.

Digital apps are handy because they’re always on your phone, and some even remind you to make entries. Many apps also create charts of your sleep patterns, which can be helpful.

Whether you choose paper or digital, make sure it’s something you’ll use every day. The most important thing is to pick a format that feels easy and natural for you to use regularly.

Decide on Duration

Most sleep experts suggest keeping a sleep diary for 1-2 weeks to get a good picture of your sleep habits. This timeframe lets you see patterns across weekdays and weekends. It’s long enough to spot trends but not so long that you get tired of doing it.

If you’re dealing with a specific sleep issue, your doctor might ask you to keep the diary for longer. Remember, consistency is key—try to record your sleep every day during your chosen period.

Even if you miss a day, don’t give up. Just keep going and do your best to fill in the diary each day for the full duration you’ve decided on.

What to Record

Knowing what to record in your sleep diary is crucial for getting useful information. Your entries should cover both nighttime sleep and daytime factors that might affect it.

Here’s a list of key things to potentially include in your sleep diary:

• Bedtime and Wake-Up Time: Write down when you go to bed each night and when you wake up in the morning. This helps track your sleep schedule and how it changes.
• Total Sleep Time: Calculate how long you actually sleep each night. This might be different from the time you spend in bed.
• Sleep Quality: Rate how well you slept on a scale (like 1-5). Add notes about how refreshed you feel in the morning.
• Nighttime Awakenings: Record any times you wake up during the night and how long you’re awake. This helps identify sleep disruptions.
• Daytime Naps: Note any naps you take, including when and how long. Naps can affect your nighttime sleep.
• Daily Activities and Habits: Write down things like exercise, caffeine intake, meals, and stress levels. These factors can impact your sleep quality.
• Dreams: Write down any dreams you remember. Were they vivid? Scary? Funny? Dreams can offer insights into your sleep quality and even your daytime emotional state.
• Medications and Supplements: Record any meds or supplements you’re taking, especially ones that might affect sleep (like certain allergy meds or melatonin).
• Menstrual Cycle Information: Hormonal changes can affect sleep quality and patterns and many find it difficult to sleep on a period. So it’s good to note your period’s start and end date, if you experience one.
• Sleep Environment: Make note of your bedroom conditions. Was it too hot? Too noisy? Did your partner snore like a chainsaw?
• Mood and Energy Levels: How did you feel during the day? Super energized or dragging your feet? Your sleep quality often shows up in your daytime mood.

A variety of medical organizations also have sleep diary blank templates that you can simply print out and fill out.

• National Institutes of Health Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH) World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible. View source
• Medline Plus Verified Source Medline Plus Online resource offered by the National Library of Medicine and part of the National Institutes of Health. View source
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Verified Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) The United States’ health protection agency that defends against dangers to health and safety. View source
• Centre for Clinical Interventions
• Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Tips for Consistent Diary Keeping

Writing regularly is key to getting accurate and useful information. Here are some tips to help you maintain a good writing streak:

Fill It Out at the Same Time Each Day

Choose a specific time to complete your sleep diary entries and stick to it. Many people find it helpful to fill out their diary first thing in the morning while their sleep experience is still fresh in their minds.

Alternatively, you might prefer to do it in the evening, recording your daytime activities and setting intentions for the night ahead. Whatever time you choose, make it a part of your daily routine to ensure consistency.

Keep Your Diary by Your Bed

Place your sleep diary or the device you use for digital tracking right next to your bed. Having it within arm’s reach makes it easy to jot down information as soon as you wake up.

This way, you’re less likely to forget details about your night’s sleep or skip recording altogether because your diary isn’t nearby.

Set a Daily Reminder

Use your phone or a sticky note to remind yourself to fill out your sleep diary. Set an alarm or notification for the same time each day, like right after breakfast or before you start work. You might be still groggy after waking up to your first alarm, so give your head a little time to clear.

This consistent reminder helps you build a habit of recording your sleep data every day, even when life gets busy.

You may also want a second reminder in the evening, so you take the time to note down any pertinent information about your day that may affect your sleep that night.

Don’t Stress About Exact Times

It’s important not to get anxious about clock-watching or recording precise sleep times. Rough estimates of when you went to bed, woke up, or how long you slept are perfectly fine. The goal is to capture overall patterns, not to create additional stress about exact minutes and hours.

If you find yourself worrying about getting the times exactly right, remind yourself that general approximations are valuable and won’t negatively impact the usefulness of your sleep diary.

Analyzing Your Diary

After keeping your sleep diary for a while, it’s time to look at what it tells you about your sleep. Taking the data you collect and spotting trends can help you understand your sleep habits and find ways to improve your rest.

Look for Patterns

Review your diary entries to spot recurring trends in your sleep. Pay attention to how your sleep duration and quality change throughout the week. Look for connections between your daily activities and your sleep that night.

You might notice that you sleep better on days when you exercise or that you have trouble falling asleep fast after watching TV late at night.

Identify Potential Sleep Disruptors

Use your diary to pinpoint things that might be interfering with or interrupting your sleep. Check if certain foods, drinks, or activities seem to affect your sleep quality.

Look for environmental factors like noise or light that wake you up at night. By identifying these sleep disruptors, you can take steps to avoid them and improve your sleep.

Share Findings with Your Doctor

Bring your sleep diary to your next doctor’s appointment. Show your doctor the patterns and potential issues you’ve noticed in your sleep habits. Your diary provides valuable information that can help your doctor understand your sleep problems better.

They can use this data to suggest lifestyle changes or treatments that might improve your sleep quality.

Making Changes

Your sleep diary is a powerful tool for improving your sleep, but only if you use the information to make changes. Here are some key areas where you can apply what you’ve learned.

Adjust Sleep Schedule

Look at your diary to find your natural sleep and wake times. Try to stick to these times, even on weekends, to help your body establish a consistent rhythm.

Gradually shift your bedtime earlier or later if needed, but do it in small steps of about 15 minutes at a time.

Modify Bedtime Routine

Create a relaxing routine based on activities your diary shows help you sleep better. This might include reading, gentle stretching, or drinking herbal tea for sleep.

Avoid screens and stimulating activities in the hour before bed, especially if your diary shows they disrupt your sleep. You may even want to build a tech-free bedroom, as part of a room makeover.

Change Sleep Environment

Use your diary to identify environmental factors that affect your sleep. Make your bedroom darker, quieter, or cooler if these issues come up in your entries.

Need some how-to help on overhauling your bedroom? No worries, we’ve got you covered!

• How to Make Your Room Darker
• How to Cool Down a Bedroom
• How to Block Out Noise in the Bedroom

Consider using earplugs, a sleep mask, or a fan to address problems you’ve noticed.

When to Seek Professional Help

While keeping a sleep diary can help you improve your sleep habits, sometimes professional help is needed. If you notice any of these issues in your diary, it’s important to talk to a doctor or sleep specialist.

Persistent Sleep Problems

If your sleep diary shows that you consistently have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early, it’s time to seek help. Look for patterns of sleep issues that last for several weeks, even after you’ve tried to improve your sleep habits.

A doctor can help identify underlying causes of your sleep problems and suggest treatments. They might recommend further tests or refer you to a sleep specialist if needed.

Daytime Fatigue or Sleepiness

Pay attention to how you feel during the day and record it in your diary. If you often feel tired, have trouble concentrating, or find yourself nodding off during the day, even after a full night’s sleep, it’s a sign that something’s wrong.

These symptoms could indicate a sleep disorder like sleep apnea or narcolepsy. A doctor can help diagnose the cause of your daytime sleepiness and recommend appropriate treatments to help you feel more alert and energetic.

Snoring or Breathing Issues During Sleep

If your sleep partner reports loud snoring, gasping, or pauses in your breathing during sleep, note this in your diary. These symptoms could indicate sleep apnea, a serious condition that affects your breathing during sleep.

Even if you don’t remember waking up, sleep apnea can severely impact your sleep quality and overall health. A doctor can order a sleep study to diagnose sleep apnea and recommend treatments like a CPAP machine to help you breathe easier and sleep better.

FAQs

How long should I keep a sleep diary?

That can vary, depending on your specific goals and circumstances. Generally, sleep experts recommend maintaining a sleep diary for at least two weeks. This gives you enough time to spot patterns in your sleep habits.

But if you’re dealing with a specific sleep issue, your doctor might ask you to keep the diary for longer, possibly four to eight weeks.

And in some cases, you might want to keep a sleep diary intermittently over a longer period—for instance, logging for a week every few months. This approach can help you track long-term changes in your sleep patterns or assess how different seasons or life events impact your sleep.

What should I do if my diary shows I’m not getting enough sleep?

First, try adjusting your sleep schedule and bedtime routine based on what you’ve learned from your diary. Identify any patterns or habits that might be contributing to your poor sleep, such as late-night screen time, irregular bedtimes, or excessive caffeine consumption.

Make your bedroom more sleep-friendly by darkening the room, blocking noise sources, and adjusting the temperature. If these changes don’t help after a few weeks, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. They can help identify any underlying issues and suggest further steps.

Is it normal for my sleep patterns to change on weekends?

It’s quite common for sleep patterns to change on weekends, a phenomenon often referred to as “social jet lag.” Many people tend to stay up later and sleep in on weekends, disrupting their usual sleep schedule. Your sleep diary therefore might show you going to bed later and waking up later on weekends.

This shift occurs because work and school commitments typically dictate our weekday schedules, while weekends offer more flexibility. As a result, people often use weekends to “catch up” on sleep or indulge in late-night activities they can’t during the week.

While some variation is normal, try to keep your sleep and wake times within an hour or two of your weekday schedule. If your weekend sleep patterns differ drastically from your weekday routine, you might find it harder to readjust come Monday morning.

What if I forget to fill out a day?

Don’t worry if you miss a day—it happens! One missed entry won’t ruin the overall value of your diary. Simply leave that day blank or leave a quick note. Then just pick up where you left off and keep going.

If you find yourself forgetting often, try setting a daily reminder on your phone or keeping your diary somewhere you’ll see it every morning.

Should I use a paper diary or a sleep tracking app?

Both have their pros and cons. Paper diaries are simple and don’t need charging, but apps can provide helpful charts and reminders. However, a sleep app may tempt you to use a phone before bed, while a paper diary can require you to write down more details that an app may shorthand for you.

Choose whichever method you’re most likely to stick with. The most important thing is using your diary consistently, so pick what feels easiest.

Can I use a sleep tracker instead?

Trackers can provide more consistent and detailed data compared to a traditional sleep diary, potentially giving you deeper insights into your sleep patterns. But there are concerns about sleep trackers’ accuracy. These devices estimate your sleep based on movement and heart rate, which isn’t always precise.

Moreover, wearable sleep trackers miss many of the subjective data you might note in your diary, such as how refreshed you feel in the morning or things that might have kept you awake.

Still, there’s no reason you can’t use a tracker and keep a sleep diary. Let your tracker crunch the numbers while you jot down the juicy details.

Should I keep a sleep diary while traveling?

It can be particularly valuable, as travel often disrupts normal patterns. You’ll be able to identify specific travel-related factors that impact your rest, such as jet lag, noisy hotel rooms, irregular meal times, or other changes in routine. This information can be useful for future trips, allowing you to better prepare and sleep well while traveling.

If you find it challenging to maintain a detailed diary while on the go, even brief notes about sleep timing and quality can be beneficial. No need to engage in sleep tourism to improve your sleep habits.

Conclusion

As your personal sleep detective, a well-kept sleep diary help you uncover the mysteries of your nightly rest. By consistently recording your sleep habits, you’re gathering clues that can lead to better, more refreshing sleep.

As you analyze your entries, you’ll likely spot patterns and habits you never noticed before. Maybe you’ll discover that late-night snacks are sabotaging your sleep, or that a slightly cooler bedroom helps you sleep more soundly.

While your diary can help you make many improvements on your own, don’t hesitate to share your findings with a doctor or sleep specialist if you’re still struggling. They can use your diary as a valuable diagnostic tool to address more serious sleep issues.

Starting a sleep diary might feel like a chore at first, but stick with it. The insights you gain can be truly eye-opening. And who knows? You might just find yourself on the path to the best sleep of your life.