My Seven Day Sleep Diary
I can remember whether last night felt bad. I am much less reliable at remembering when I drank coffee, how long I was actually awake, or whether the same thing happened three nights earlier. Seven days on paper gives those details somewhere to live.
What to record in the morning
- When you went to bed.
- When you tried to sleep.
- How many minutes it took to fall asleep.
- How many times you woke during the night.
- Total minutes awake during the night.
- When you woke for the final time.
- When you got out of bed.
- How rested and alert you feel.
Fill this part in soon after waking, while the details are still fresh.
What to record in the evening
- Caffeine amounts and times.
- Alcohol amounts and times.
- Naps and their duration.
- Exercise and when it happened.
- Meal timing.
- Screen use near bedtime.
- Medication or supplements taken before bed.
- Stress, illness, travel, or schedule changes.
Fill this part in before bed. You are recording what happened, not trying to make the day look tidy.
The seven day diary
| Field | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Time I went to bed | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Time I tried to sleep | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Minutes until sleep | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Number of awakenings | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Total minutes awake overnight | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Final wake time | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Time I got out of bed | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Estimated total sleep | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Rested on waking from 1 to 4 | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Energy today from 1 to 4 | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Caffeine amount and time | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Alcohol amount and time | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Naps and total minutes | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Exercise and time | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Last meal time | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Late screen use | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Stress or schedule change | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
| Other notes | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ |
Weekly pattern review
- The easiest night: Which night had the shortest wait for sleep and the fewest awakenings?
- The hardest night: What happened during the day and evening before it?
- Timing: Did bedtime and wake time stay steady or move around?
- Caffeine and alcohol: Did later use line up with a longer wait or more waking?
- Naps: Did a long or late nap change the following night?
- Exercise and meals: Did their timing appear beside better or worse nights?
- Stress and schedule changes: Which disruptions appeared more than once?
A diary is useful because people often misjudge their own sleep. The record will not be perfect, and it does not need to be. Its job is to reveal a repeated pattern that memory smooths over.
What to do with your diary
Choose one possible relationship from the weekly review. Change one part of the routine for the next seven days, then keep recording. This makes the comparison easier to read than changing caffeine, exercise, meals, and bedtime together.
The diary can also give a health professional a clearer starting point than a general description of bad sleep. It does not diagnose insomnia or another sleep disorder. Get professional guidance before attempting sleep restriction, particularly if you have obstructive sleep apnoea, bipolar disorder, or a seizure disorder.