Sleep diary

A sleep diary is a record of an individual's sleeping and waking times with related information, usually over a period of several weeks. It is self-reported or can be recorded by a care-giver.

The sleep diary, or sleep log, is a tool used by doctors and patients. [cite book
last = Michael L Perlis, Carla Jungquist, Michael T Smith, and Donn Posner
title = The Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia: A Session-by-session Guide
publisher = Springer-Verlag New York Inc
date = 2005
pages = pp 33, 50
isbn = 978-0387222523] [cite book
last = Morin
first = C.M.
title = Insomnia: Psychological Assessment and Management (Treatment Manuals for Practitioners)
publisher = Guilford Publications
date = 996
pages = p 61
isbn = 978-1572301207] [cite book
last =Charles M. Morin and
first = Colin A. Espie
title = Insomnia: A Clinician's Guide to Assessment and Treatment
publisher = Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers
date = 2003
pages = p 30
isbn = 978-0306477508] It is a useful resource in the diagnosis and treatment of especially circadian rhythm sleep disorders, and in monitoring whether treatment of those and other sleep disorders is successful.

Sleep diaries may be used in conjunction with actigraphy.

In addition to being a useful tool for medical professionals in the diagnosis of sleep problems, a sleep diary can help make individuals more aware of the parameters affecting their sleep. This data alone can help people self-diagnose what helps them get a good sleep.

Components

The information contained in a sleep diary includes some or all of the following points:

# The time the person tried to fall asleep
# The time the person thinks sleep onset occurred
# The number, time, and length of any nighttime awakenings
# The time the person had wanted or intended to wake up
# The time the person woke up
# The time the person got out of bed
# Whether the person woke up spontaneously, by an alarm clock, or because of other (specified) disturbance
# A few words about how the person felt during the day (mood, drowsiness etc.), often on a scale from 1 to 5
# The start and end times of any daytime naps
# The name, dosage and time of any drugs used including caffeine and alcohol
# Time of evening meal, heavy or light
# Stress level before bedtime
# Activities the last hour before bedtime

Data collection

Sleep logs are often hand-drawn on graph paper, as a rule one week per sheet of paper. Specialized software for creating sleep logs is also available. A spreadsheet or database software can also be used.

References

External links

* Samples of sleep diaries: [http://www.njsleepdisorderscenter.com/sleep_diary.htm] , [http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/starslp/teachers/sleep_diary.htm] , [http://www.sleepeducation.com/pdf/sleepdiary.pdf] , [http://www.circadiandisorders.org/sleepdiary.html] , [http://www.sleepapneacenter.com/files/SleepDiaryChart.pdf] .

* [http://www.dayprimer.com/node/7 DayPrimer.com] Information about keeping a sleep diary

* [http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic655.htm eMedicine - Sleeplessness and Circadian Rhythm Disorder : Article by Mary E Cataletto, MD]

* [http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleepchart.htm Sleep log examples and software]