Sleep diary

A sleep diary monitors sleep habits. As part of assessing an adult with suspected insomnia, a sleep diary helps to:

• clarify a sleep disorder diagnosis by assessing quality of sleep, time of sleep onset, consistency of sleep and sleep efficiency (ratio of time asleep to time in bed)
• identify lifestyle, environmental or medical factors contributing to sleep problems
• monitor treatment response.

In the sleep diary, the patient documents the time they went to bed and got to sleep; number of hours slept; number, duration and reasons for night-time awakenings; when they woke and arose and whether they felt refreshed. In addition, they record lifestyle, environmental or medical factors that may impact sleep (eg drugs, caffeine and alcohol intake, exercise, meals). An initial observation period of 1 to 2 weeks may be prolonged to monitor change in sleep behaviour.

A sleep diary is available from the National Sleep Foundation (US).