Definition - What does sleep diary mean?
A sleep diary is a record of the sleeping habits and patterns of a patient over set period of time, usually several weeks. It helps doctors to better pinpoint specific sleep problems and possible causes. A sleep diary can help a doctor determine if lack of quality sleep is the result of a possible sleep disorders (which would need further testing) or the likely consequence of inappropriate lifestyle and sleep habits. A sleep diary can also be used to help determine the efficacy of sleep disorder treatments.
SureHire explains sleep diary
As a first step in treating a sleeping problem, patients, or their caregivers, are often asked to record their daily sleep habits and patterns for a certain number of weeks in the sleep diary. Having a written record helps prevent patients from forgetting to report some symptoms, or reporting incorrect symptoms. This accuracy helps to improve the accuracy of a diagnosis and treatment.
Typical details in the sleep diary include sleeping and waking times, duration of sleep, amount of time it took to fall asleep, number of sleep interruptions (with their timing and duration), caffeine and alcohol intake, medicine use, duration of exercise, and the overall quality of sleep.
