Print one page for each night, fill in last night's times once in the morning, and add the evening one line at a time: caffeine, alcohol, dinner, exercise, and anything on your mind, with the time. Keep it for two weeks, then use the try sheet to test one change.
Sleep specialists ask for this before a first visit. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends "a two-week sleep log to identify general patterns" (AASM), and the NHLBI suggests keeping one for 1 to 2 weeks before seeing your doctor (NHLBI). Print the pages, or save them as a PDF.
Tried to sleep at
Took aboutmin to fall asleep
Woke for the day
Got up
Then the day, one line per entry: the time, the kind, and what happened in your words. Kinds: caffeine · alcohol · dinner · exercise · nap · energy (0–3) · stress · medicine · note. For example: 8:30 pm · alcohol · two glasses of wine with dinner.
Leave the clock alone at night. Fill this in once, in the morning.kasanelife.com/printables/sleep-journal
One change at a time. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine to test it. If a warning sign shows up during the try, stop and see a doctor.
A good fortnight is a strong clue. Repeating it is stronger.kasanelife.com/printables/two-week-try
How to fill it in
- Once, in the morning. The research-standard Consensus Sleep Diary is filled in within an hour of getting up (Carney et al.). Estimates are fine.
- Leave the clock alone at night. The NHLBI notes that watching the clock can raise your risk of insomnia (NHLBI). Guess in the morning instead.
- Write the evening as it happens. A research review found alcohol near bedtime can disrupt the second half of the night (Thakkar et al.), and the NHS suggests no tea or coffee in the 6 hours before bed (NHS). With times on the page, you can read the nights you woke against the evenings before them.
- Add your energy if tiredness is the question. A 0 to 3 score at the same two or three times each day shows whether it's constant or has a pattern. That scale is ours.
Our sleep diary page shows how to work out time in bed, total sleep, and sleep efficiency, with an example, and how Kasane fills in each night from Apple Health. For what to look for, see why you might wake at 3am.
Then test one change
Change one thing at a time and keep the diary going, so you can see what happened afterward. A pattern is something to discuss with your doctor; it doesn't prove the cause. Here's how to tell whether a change is working.
The page is laid out the way the Journal reads in Kasane, where each morning opens with a Sleep row. On paper or in the app, the habit is the same.
When to see a doctor
- Signs of sleep apnea: loud snoring, your breathing stopping and starting, gasping or choking in your sleep, or feeling very tired during the day. A bed partner is often the one who notices (NHS).
- Insomnia that isn't improving: changing your sleep habits hasn't helped, you've had trouble sleeping for months, or it's making it hard to cope with daily life (NHS).
- If you're thinking about harming yourself: call or text 988 (SAMHSA). If you're in danger right now, call 911.
And don't drive when you feel sleepy.