Sleep Log Printable: How to Track Your Sleep for a Week
A sleep log (or sleep diary) is a simple daily record of when you went to bed, how long it took to fall asleep and how rested you felt. A week of entries shows patterns you’d never notice otherwise. Print the free log below and use this guide to fill it in and make sense of it.
Key takeaways
- Record bedtime, time to fall asleep, night wakings, wake-up time, naps, caffeine and alcohol, exercise and how rested you feel.
- Keep it for at least one week, the length doctors usually suggest.
- Fill in the night part each morning and the day part each evening.
- Adults need at least 7 hours of sleep a night, according to the CDC.
Free printable 7-day sleep log
Print one sheet per week. It prints in landscape on one page.
7-Day Sleep Log
Week of: ________________ Fill in the first five columns each morning and the rest each evening.
| Day | Went to bed | Minutes to fall asleep | Times woke in night | Woke up | Total sleep (hrs) | Naps (mins) | Caffeine / alcohol (what, when) | Exercise | How rested? (1–5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | |||||||||
| Tue | |||||||||
| Wed | |||||||||
| Thu | |||||||||
| Fri | |||||||||
| Sat | |||||||||
| Sun |
Average sleep this week: ______ hrs Patterns I noticed: ____________________________________________
Why keep a sleep log?
- It shows how much you really sleep. Written entries are often more reliable than trying to remember, according to the Sleep Foundation, and they let you work out your total sleep time.
- It reveals patterns. Late coffee, weekend lie-ins or evening screen time often show up clearly after a week.
- It helps if you see a doctor. Doctors often ask people with sleep problems to keep a diary, usually for at least one week.
- It keeps you on track when you’re working on a consistent sleep schedule.
How to fill it in
Each morning (1 minute)
- Went to bed: the time you got into bed to sleep.
- Minutes to fall asleep: your best guess. Don’t check the clock during the night.
- Times woke in the night: how many times, roughly.
- Woke up: the time you woke for the day.
- Total sleep: time in bed minus time awake, roughly.
Each evening (1 minute)
- Naps: any daytime sleep and how long.
- Caffeine and alcohol: what you had and roughly when.
- Exercise: what you did and when.
- How rested: 1 = exhausted, 5 = great.
The Sleep Foundation lists these same details as the ones a sleep diary commonly includes. If you take medicines, you can note those too.
Find your ideal bedtime, free. The Sleep Planner works out bedtimes and wake-up times based on sleep cycles, checks them against recommended hours for your age, and prints a wind-down routine.
Open the Sleep Planner →How to read your week
| If you notice… | Try this |
|---|---|
| Average sleep under 7 hours | Move your bedtime 15 minutes earlier each week. The CDC recommends at least 7 hours for adults. |
| Very different times on weekdays and weekends | Keep your wake-up time within about an hour every day, weekends included. |
| Taking a long time to fall asleep | Start a 30–60 minute wind-down routine and put screens away. |
| Poorer sleep after late caffeine | Have your last caffeine earlier in the day. |
| Long afternoon naps | Keep naps short and earlier in the afternoon. |
When to talk to a doctor. If poor sleep continues for weeks, you often feel very sleepy in the day, or someone notices you snore loudly or stop breathing in your sleep, speak to a doctor and take your sleep log with you.
Reusable sleep log pages, plus more. $12 The Complete Wellness Planner includes a printable sleep log alongside meal, water, walking and habit pages, so you can track everything in one place.
See the Complete Wellness Planner →Common questions
What should I write in a sleep log?
Bedtime, how long it took to fall asleep, how often you woke in the night, wake-up time, naps, caffeine and alcohol, exercise, and how rested you felt. These are the details a sleep diary commonly includes.
How long should I keep a sleep log?
At least one week. Doctors usually ask for at least a week of entries, and sometimes two weeks or more.
Is a sleep log better than a sleep tracker app?
They do different jobs. A paper log records how you felt and what you did, such as caffeine and exercise, which helps you spot causes. Many people use both.
How much sleep do adults need?
The CDC recommends at least 7 hours a night for adults aged 18 to 60.
Sources
- Sleep Foundation: Sleep Diary, how and why you should keep one
- CDC: 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep
Related tools and guides
This guide is for general education and is not medical advice. See our Health Disclaimer and Editorial Policy.