Sleep diary template: what to track for two weeks

What to write down each day

Keep the blank 14-day sheet by your bed. Jot down relevant habits in the evening, then complete the sleep and morning columns soon after you wake. Estimates are useful; invented precision is not.

• Bedtime: when you got into bed, and roughly when you tried to sleep.
• Falling asleep: about how long it took.
• Waking in the night: how many times you remember, and roughly when.
• Morning: when you woke for good, and when you got up.
• Naps, caffeine, alcohol, exercise and medicines: write the time, if relevant, rather than guessing later [1].
• How rested you felt in the morning, and how sleepy you were during the day, each on a scale of 1 to 5.
• Anything else: a cold, a blocked nose, a late meal, a broken night with a baby.
• What someone else noticed: snoring, talking, gasping or pauses in your breathing.
• What a recording heard, if you made one: the time of a snore, talking, a cough or a room noise. How to record yourself sleeping explains phone placement and why audio is not a medical test.

Why two weeks

One night is a snapshot. Fourteen consecutive nights capture workdays, weekends and normal variation. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's sleep education site recommends completing a typical two-week diary daily [1]. You do not need to wait for perfect sleep to start.

Keep what you remember apart from what was measured

If you record nighttime audio or use a wearable, use separate labels for your memory, an observed or recorded sound, and a device estimate. A phone can record a room sound, but it cannot establish who caused it or diagnose a sleep condition. Consumer trackers estimate sleep, and published device comparisons show they may identify waking less reliably than sleeping [2].

Reading it back

At the end of two weeks, look for repeatable questions rather than a verdict from a single night:

• How far your bedtime and wake time move between weekdays and weekends.
• Whether bad nights follow caffeine or late naps, which a diary can reveal [1], or an evening's drinking.
• The difference between time in bed and your estimated time asleep. How much sleep do I need? explains why those are not the same.
• Whether tired days follow short or broken nights, or neither.

Fictional example: A Friday entry notes both a blocked nose and reported snoring. A single overlap does not establish that congestion caused the sound. Put unknowns in the unknown column; do not count an unreported snore as a snore-free night. Write down questions for a clinician as you go.

Taking it to a doctor

A completed diary shows a clinician your sleep schedule, habits and self-reported symptoms [1]. For recurring awakenings, see why you wake during the night. Do not wait to finish 14 days if someone witnesses pauses in breathing or gasping, or you are very sleepy in daytime: talk to a doctor [3]. A phone recording cannot rule sleep apnea in or out. Before sharing any notes, check what is included. The seven-night log on this page keeps typed entries only in the open browser tab's memory; you choose whether to export a CSV, so download it before refreshing or closing the page. This does not describe storage or privacy settings of the separate iPhone app.