You might be able to recognize your good and bad sleep habits with the aid of a sleep diary. Use one for at least a week to get amazing effects.
Monitoring your routines is beneficial for nearly every aspect of health, but sleep in particular. By keeping a sleep journal, you can track your bedtimes, the quantity and quality of your sleep, and the effects of medicines, exercise, and caffeinated or alcohol-containing beverages on your sleep.
It can be helpful to find trends influencing your sleep if you keep a sleep journal for at least a week. Its data might assist you and your physician in understanding sleep issues. In fact, a 2022 study discovered that sleep tracking produced valuable data and was a valid tool to evaluate insomnia from the participants’ viewpoints.
A sleep journal: what is it?
Even though complete book-bound diaries designed just for documenting sleep are available for purchase, a sleep journal doesn’t have to be elaborate or very long. It can be any kind of tangible or digital record of your sleep patterns and the factors that influence them.
Some people might find it more enjoyable to compose a story in their sleep journal, using sentences or paragraphs to explain their patterns of sleep each day. For others, a graph or chart with straightforward boxes to check and numbers to fill in can be more convenient.
For example, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) offers a free printable sleep journal template with spaces for noting the date, the amount of caffeinated and alcoholic beverages consumed, the duration and duration of activity, naps, and a tiredness rating.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) also provide more helpful diaries.
To make things even simpler, think about utilizing a wearable like Oura, Calm, or SleepWatch along with sleep-tracking software. A small 2023 study discovered that sleep-tracking applications supported users in continuing to use them consistently.
How is a sleep journal used?
Sleep journal templates can cover a wide range of factors that impact sleep. But generally speaking, some things to monitor are as follows:
total hours spent sleeping in a day
degree of drowsiness experienced throughout the daytime with regular drugs
quantity and duration of drinks that contain caffeine and alcohol; bedtime, waketime, exercise kind and intensity; degree of sleep quality; naps; time it takes to fall asleep; and night awakenings
Add any other variables that you believe are having a substantial impact on your sleep, such as stress or taking care of a small child.
When is it okay to record your sleep in a journal?
Sleep journals provide instructions for data entry, such as filling in blanks at night and morning in the NHLBI journal.
However, it’s always a good idea to track your sleep data just before going to bed and as soon as you get up in the morning if you don’t have any pre-set instructions. A tiny 2024 study discovered that when people didn’t finish their diary entries right before bed and first thing in the morning, they had trouble remembering specifics of their sleep.
When is the right time to visit a doctor if you have insomnia?
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) defines chronic insomnia as the inability to fall asleep for three or more evenings per week for a minimum of three months. However, you don’t need to wait till today to receive medical care. It is advisable to seek medical care if difficulties with sleep start to interfere with your daily activities.
What is the prognosis for those who struggle to fall asleep?
Sleep problems can have a detrimental effect on your quality of life. Certain sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, have been connected to long-term health problems. Talking to your doctor about your sleep issues and keeping your completed sleep diary handy will help you get back to getting good, restful sleep at night.
Frequently requested inquiries
How does one keep a sleep journal?
You can learn more about the things that are most strongly affecting your sleep by keeping a sleep journal. Using one for a week or more can help you see connections or patterns that you might not normally see.
Why does feeling rested require nine hours of sleep?
According to the NSF, an adult typically sleeps for 7 to 9 hours. Hence, even if nine hours is a bit more than the average, it’s still a good quantity of sleep.
Is sleeping for twelve hours too much?
Sleeping 12 hours a night is more than what the NSF advises for adults. But then, some elite athletes get that much sleep. If you consistently sleep this much and are still drowsy during the day, see your doctor.
