How to Use a Sleep Journal for Better Rest
- Elaura
- Sep 22
- 2 min read
If you’re trying to get better sleep but feel like nothing you’re doing is working, a sleep journal might be your new best friend. Don’t worry, it’s not complicated or time consuming. Think of it as a gentle way to spot patterns, understand your habits, and figure out what’s actually helping (or hurting) your rest.
You don’t need any fancy books, just a notebook or even your notes app. So here’s how to get started and why it’s worth doing.
What is a Sleep Journal?
A sleep journal is simply a daily log that helps you track your sleep and anything that might affect it. Over time, you’ll start to see little clues that can help you build better habits, tweak your routine, or spot what’s throwing things off.
What to Write Down
You don’t need to write paragraphs or stay up late documenting everything. Just jot down the basics. Here’s a simple format you can follow:
What time did you go to bed?
How long did it take you to fall asleep?
Did you wake up during the night? If so, how many times and for how long?
What time did you wake up?
How did you feel in the morning? (Refreshed? Groggy? Anxious?)
Anything you did differently that day; e.g. caffeine, alcohol, exercise, blue light exposure, stress, supplements, screen time, a late dinner, etc.
You don’t need to cover everything every day, if you miss a day (or two) don’t be discouraged and stop, even just a few lines is enough to start spotting trends.
Why It Helps
You might wake up some days feeling well rested and others groggy and run-down, by writing things down it can show you what’s really working. You might notice things like:
You’re sleeping worse after late-night scrolling
You’re fall asleep faster on days you walk more and stretch before bed
You’re feel more rested after taking your supplements earlier in the evening
It cuts through all the guesswork and lets you see what's helping you sleep and what’s making it worse.
How Long Should You Keep a Sleep Journal?
Try doing it for 1–2 weeks to begin with, that’s usually enough to start noticing patterns and you can pick it up whenever you feel you need a sleep refresher. But it's not a bad habit to keep indefinitely, especially if you’re working on improving your sleep long term.
Final note...
If you’re using a journal and noticing that your sleep still feels off no matter what or are just looking for a way to fast track the adjustment process, a gentle supplement like Overnight Balance can help nudge your system in the right direction by supporting rest without knocking you out.
Your sleep doesn’t have to be a mystery and the answers to why you aren’t sleeping well are right there in your routine, you just might need a little help uncovering them.
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