did you sleep well? If not, do you know why?

Keeping a sleep diary allows you to find patterns in your sleep habits. For example, you may find that a meal with high levels of carbohydrates and a high protein content will make you sleep better.

Or you may find that a short sleep at noon that day makes you unable to sleep at night. Others may find the opposite situation – a nap during the day helps them sleep better at night.

Only by regularly recording the things that affect your sleep can you identify and avoid “sleep stealers” that you have not previously realized. If you are a poor sleeper, it only takes a few minutes a day and can pay dividends over time.

So what should we write in the sleep diary? Then the most important thing is:

Take a nap – Record any naps during the day, even five minutes in front of the TV. Also record the time of your fight.

Dinner – What do you have for dinner and when?

Coffee/tea or any other caffeinated beverage – last time and how many times?

Alcohol – What wine did you drink today? When and how much?

Relax – Do you practice any relaxation exercises during the day? how long?

Drugs – What medication [sleeping or other] did you take during the second half of the day?

Activity – What happened today? Is this a normal day for you or something different? What did you do before going to bed?

On the bed – Are you reading a book or watching TV in bed? When do you turn off the lights?

Write down the following in the morning:

How long have you been sleeping last night?

How many times have you woke up?

When did you get up?

How is your sleep quality?

It may sound a bit boring at first, but with practice, you can do the job fairly quickly. Over time, you'll notice a clear pattern that will allow you to isolate activities or eating habits that negatively impact your sleep. It may be reading or watching TV on the bed, or it may be an alcoholic drink after dinner. Then you can take steps to eliminate or reduce these activities for a better night's sleep.

Copyright 2006 Wendy Owen

Why bother to sleep the diary? was originally published on Spring