A sleep diary is a simple daily record of when you went to bed, how long it took to fall asleep, when you woke, and what might have affected your night, such as caffeine, alcohol, naps or exercise. Keep it for about two weeks, fill it in every day, and share it with your doctor if sleep problems continue.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) calls a sleep diary a useful way to track your sleep at home. A typical one covers two weeks and works best when you fill it in daily. It shows your sleep pattern, how much sleep you are getting, and how often your sleep is disrupted. It can also reveal things that cause a sleep problem, such as drinking caffeine or napping late in the day.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) suggests keeping one for 1 to 2 weeks before you see your doctor about sleep. The Sleep Foundation notes that written daily entries are often more reliable for a health care provider than a general memory of how you have been sleeping.
What time you went to bed
About how long it took to fall asleep
How many times you woke in the night, and for about how long
What time you woke up for the day, and what time you got out of bed
How rested you feel, on a scale of 1 to 5
What type of day it was: work, school or a day off
Caffeine: what and when
Alcohol: what and when
Naps: when and how long
Exercise: when
Medicines: what and when
How sleepy you felt during the day
These items are based on what NHLBI, the AASM and the Sleep Foundation suggest tracking. Estimates are fine. Do not check the clock during the night just to fill in the diary.
Example template. Copy this block into a notebook or notes file once for each of the 14 days.
Day and date:
Type of day (work, school, day off):
Caffeine (what and when):
Alcohol (what and when):
Naps (when and how long):
Exercise (when):
Medicines (what and when):
Daytime sleepiness (1 = alert, 5 = struggling to stay awake):
Time I went to bed:
About how long to fall asleep:
Times I woke in the night and for how long:
Final wake-up time:
Time I got out of bed:
How rested I feel (1 to 5):
Notes (stress, pain, noise, late meal, travel):
Example of a filled-in day:
Day 3, Tuesday. Work day.
Coffee at 7:30 am and 2:30 pm. No alcohol. No nap. 30-minute walk at 6 pm. No medicines.
Daytime sleepiness: 3.
Bed at 11:15 pm. About 40 minutes to fall asleep.
Woke once around 3 am for about 20 minutes.
Woke at 6:40 am and got up at 6:45 am. Rested: 2 out of 5.
Notes: big deadline, coffee later than usual.
The Sleep Foundation points out that a diary lets you work out your total sleep time. Take the time you spent in bed and subtract the time you were awake. In the example above, 11:15 pm to 6:45 am is 7.5 hours in bed. Subtract 40 minutes to fall asleep and 20 minutes awake at 3 am, and you get about 6.5 hours of sleep.
At the end of each week, note your usual bedtime and wake time, how long you usually take to fall asleep, how many nights you woke up, and any patterns, such as worse nights after late coffee.
NHLBI lists the kinds of questions a provider may ask about sleep, and a diary helps you answer them accurately:
How often you have trouble sleeping and how long it has been going on
When you go to bed and get up on work days and days off
How long it takes to fall asleep, how often you wake, and how long it takes to fall back asleep
How refreshed you feel when you wake and how tired you are during the day
Whether you use devices or watch TV before bed
Whether you snore loudly or wake up gasping
Your doctor may also suggest other tests. NHLBI says these can include a sleep study or actigraphy, which uses a small motion sensor worn on your wrist for 3 to 14 days. The AASM notes that you can share your completed diary with your provider or with the team at an accredited sleep center.
Keep it by your bed. The Sleep Foundation suggests keeping the diary and a pen somewhere you will see it every day, such as your bedroom.
Fill it in soon after waking. Staying current avoids memory gaps.
If your doctor gives you a form, use theirs and follow their instructions.
Live as normal while you record. If the diary is for a doctor, it should show your usual pattern.
Use a printable version if you like. The AASM offers a printable sleep diary on its sleep diary page.
Review it honestly. The Sleep Foundation suggests asking: Am I allowing enough time for sleep? Is my schedule consistent? Am I lying awake for long stretches? Are naps, caffeine or alcohol playing a part?
If your review shows a schedule that drifts later and later, this guide on how to fix your sleep schedule may help.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
About two weeks is typical. NHLBI suggests 1 to 2 weeks before a doctor visit, and the Sleep Foundation says doctors usually ask for at least one week.
No. A diary is your own written record. The AASM notes that many apps and sleep trackers include a sleep diary. A wrist device used for actigraphy gives a doctor more objective movement data, but diaries are still widely used.
Look for patterns yourself, then bring it to your doctor if you still have trouble sleeping.
The Sleep Foundation suggests talking with a doctor if you have significant trouble falling or staying asleep, problems with thinking, attention or mood during the day, excessive daytime sleepiness, or very loud snoring with choking or gasping sounds. Do not drive if you feel very sleepy.
Sleepward: Bedtime Routine includes optional sleep logs with labeled estimates, can optionally read sleep data from Apple Health, and has a one-tap morning check-in with four faces that you can skip. It does not score or grade your sleep and it is not a medical device, so if your doctor asks for a sleep diary, use the form they give you. Your sleep records are stored on your device and never uploaded by Sleepward.
Get Sleepward free on the App Store
Sleep Diary (Sleep Education, American Academy of Sleep Medicine)
Insomnia: Diagnosis (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH)
Sleep Diary: How and Why You Should Keep One (Sleep Foundation)