Sleep Diaries: How to Keep a Sleep Log

Tracking nighttime patterns with sleep diaries is a common way for people to identify distractions and disruptions that prevent them from getting adequate sleep. By logging when you sleep, what wakes you and what factors contribute to better sleep, someone with sleeping problems is more likely to select the right treatment option. In fact, keeping a sleep history can detect more serious, potentially life-threatening issues of which lack of sleep is only a symptom.

We know that quality and quantity of sleep directly influence daytime performance. Disturbances, however, are common for many individuals. Recording sleep patterns is often an efficient way to analyze and treat sleep problems.

Sleep Diaries as Diagnostic Tools

Treating insomnia, snoring, a sudden onset of nightmares and several forms of anxiety frequently begins with creating a sleep history. Although some nighttime disturbances are temporary, including stress, others may arise from adopting poor habits, such as staying up too late or remaining in bed when you're not sleepy.

Sleep diaries can be the first step in identifying and breaking bad habits that cause sleep deprivation. Occasionally, a hypnotherapist or psychologist may request that you keep a sleep journal when he or she suspects emotional issues.

Dream interpretations can sometimes provide information on what is troubling us during waking hours. If erratic patterns do not resolve themselves, then extended testing may incorporate observations in sleep labs and implementation of disease-specific therapies.

Starting A Basic Sleep Diary

Simple sleep diaries record the following aspects of your sleep experience:

the time you went to bed and turned off the light
approximately how long it takes to fall asleep
number of waking periods during the night
disruptions from outside sources (what they were and the time each occurred)
the number of dreams and what they were about
what time you awaken and get out of bed
how you feel when you wake up (rested, tired, (not) mentally alert, etc).

After waking up, catalog the details of each of the above aspect in your sleep log. Sometimes, you may want your partner to take notes, as well, as they will be able to report on excessive snoring, the degree of tossing and turning or other factors that you may not be aware of as you sleep. Logs may also include a grading system for helping you judge the quality of your sleep.

If you wake up throughout the night and do take notes, use a dim light. Bright lights are a signal to the brain to become fully alert. In the case of a child, a parent would keep the sleep journal.

Other details that you may want to record in your sleep history are:

beverages consumed before sleeping
drugs taken, whether over-the-counter or prescription
number of naps throughout the day
time of last meal or snack before bedtime
use of nicotine or alcohol
whether or not you exercised that day.

To create a portrait of your sleeping pattern, experts recommend keeping a diary for anywhere from one to three weeks. This is generally a sufficient amount of time for sleep issues to become apparent.

After understanding what promotes and prevents sleep, you can start to experiment with your normal patterns. For instance, you may want to see how eliminating a cup of hot tea in the evenings or opting to exercise earlier in the day affects your ability to sleep.

If you find that you have removed the typical causes of sleep disruptions and you still have trouble sleeping, consult a physician to check for any underlying illness that may be affecting your sleep.

Who Needs a Sleep Diary?

Sleep logs can work for people of any age experiencing sleep problems. While a parent will have to document the details of his or her child's sleep, teens and adults alike can keep track of their own sleep diaries. Not only are sleep logs effective ways to detect the causes of sleep problems, but they are also good ways of teaching and learning healthy sleep practices.

Resources

Mysleepcenter.com (2001-2005). Improving Sleep. Retrieved January 14, 2007, from the My Sleep Center Web site: http://www.mysleepcenter.com/ImprovingSleep.html.

Realage.com (2006). When to See a Doctor – Keep a Sleep Diary for Your Doctor. Retrieved January 14, 2007, from the Realage Web site: http://www.sleep.realage.com/content.aspx/topic/7.

Sleepdiary.com (2002-2005). Infant and Child Sleep Diary. Retrieved January 14, 2007, from the Sleepdiary Web site: http://www.sleepdiary.com/child_sleep_diary.html.