Can’t sleep for two hours or sleep long, but don’t get enough sleep? Sleep problems can have many causes, from watching the news feed to reading an Avalon slot review and eating a chocolate bar at bedtime. A sleep diary can help you find out what’s wrong. We’ll tell you what it is and how to keep one.
Why You Need a Sleep Diary
With a sleep diary, you can track when you fall asleep and wake up, how much you sleep, and what factors affect your sleep. These may include exercise, stress, diet or the amount of coffee you drink during the day.
By writing these factors down in your diary, you will understand what makes you sleep-deprived and what makes you wake up full of energy. This way, you can change your habits and improve your sleep.
It isn’t necessary to make detailed notes – it’s enough to devote 1-2 minutes a day to the diary. After two weeks of such practice, you will be able to analyze your habits and find the problem areas.
Furthermore, the diary will save you from unnecessary anxiety. Sometimes one sleepless night is remembered better than all the rest, with normal sleep. Thanks to the diary, you will know exactly whether you should be alarmed or not. celebrities bio
How to Make a Diary
You can start with some basic notes. When you get used to keeping a diary, you can expand the description.
Basic Version
In its simplest form, the diary should include:
- Time of falling asleep.
- Time of waking up.
- Sleep duration.
In this format, you can track how regular your sleep patterns are and whether you are sleep-deprived.
Add a comment column to your diary to make notes that help you better analyze your results. For example, note why you went to bed late one night and what helped you fall asleep quickly.
Extended Version
You can add more information to it:
- Length of time asleep.
- Number of nocturnal awakenings.
- Sleep quality.
- Energy Level During the Day.
Factors that affect sleep can be included for a complete picture. For example, exercise, caffeine and alcohol consumption, diet, and routine before bedtime.
Top 3 Rules for a Sleep Diary
Don’t Keep a Diary in the Bedroom
Otherwise you will try to write down every little thing and immediately record nightly awakenings. Rely on your memory and wait until morning, and leave the diary in another room, for example, in the kitchen.
Allocate Time to Fill out the Diary
Make this activity your habit. Fill in your sleep data in the morning, for example at breakfast, and in the evening fill in information about your activities during the day that may have affected your sleep.
Keep a Diary for at Least Two Weeks
This way you will gather more data about your sleep and be able to accurately track the factors that affect it. Don’t make any changes to your routine before two weeks, just observe.
How to Analyze a Sleep Diary
After two weeks, you can evaluate the findings. Pay attention to patterns. For example, what general things did you do on the days when you woke up most easily and felt most energetic? Maybe you exercised or didn’t sit on social media before bedtime? The same goes for days when you didn’t sleep well. What do the two have in common?
You can find many factors that make your sleep worse. But don’t try to change everything at once – it’s better to focus on one habit. Realize that a cup of coffee in the evening is making you sleep poorly? Give it up for starters.
Remember that change will not come at once. Even if you give up one bad habit, you may still experience insomnia or wake up tired. Have patience, and then you’ll get better sleep over time.