Why Keeping Sleep Journal Is A Good Idea?

Before we get to the why, let's first explore the "what:. Tracking your habits is a great and a healthy way to keep track of your health, your mood, your menstrual cycle and your sleep too! This is why people use sleep journal to log bedtimes, duration of sleep and the quality. The sleep journal also notes down how different factors including alcohol or caffeine or even certain medicines affected your sleep.

As per a 2022 study published in Oxford University Press' Sleep Research Society, sleep tracking is a meaningful way to assess insomnia from the participants' perspectives and it also results in useful information. Using a sleep journal for even one week could help you identify the patterns that affect your rest and can help you and your doctor understand sleep problems.

What is a sleep journal?

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have provided their own versions of sleep diaries. While NSF has a more elaborate sleep diary, American Academy of Sleep keeps it sweet and short and concise.

You can either perchance an entire book-bound diary, make your own, or use the one available, it could also be a digital record of how you sleep. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute also has a free version for everyone to download.

There are sleep tracking apps available and as per a 2023 study titled Evaluating User Compliance in Mobile Health Apps: Insights from a 90-Day Study Using a Digital Sleep Diary, people who use such apps have been consistent in using them.

So, how do you use a sleep journal?

Sleep journal includes these elements to track:

• total sleep hours per 24-hour period
• sleepiness level throughout the day
• daily medications
• number of caffeine- and alcohol-containing drinks and time consumed
• bedtime
• wake time
• exercise type and duration
• sleep quality level
• naps
• time it takes to fall asleep
• night awakenings

When is it the right time to use sleep journal?

Most journals require you to fill in at night and in the morning. This is right before you sleep at night and right after you wake up in the morning. This is important because a 2024 study published in the Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes that those who log in right before sleep or right after they wake up have a hard time recalling their sleep details to later fill in the journal entries.

When to see a doctor?

As per NSF, chronic insomnia involves having trouble at least 3 nights per week for at least 3 months. If you are experiencing this, it is best to go see a doctor. The sleep journal, as it noted all your habits could because an important source for your doctor to help you with the diagnosis.

Sleep problems can interfere your quality of life and could lead to sleep apnea, or other chronic conditions. This is why it is important to keep tracking your sleep and to ensure that you get enough of the nighttime rest that is required by your body. Maintaining a sleep journal also help you be aware of when must you go see a doctor in case of any unusual pattern you notice in your sleep schedule.