A sleep diary is a written record that you keep of your sleep patterns and habits. It requires just a little bit of effort on your end, and it can give your dentist or doctor a wealth of information about what may be causing you to get low-quality sleep. If you have been feeling excessively sleepy during the day, or just can’t seem to get a solid night of uninterrupted zzz’s, keep reading to learn more about why keeping a sleep diary in Denver may be a good idea.
What a Sleep Diary Tracks
You can keep a sleep diary on your phone or with an old fashioned pen and notepad. In it, you should log the following information every day:
- What time you went to sleep
- How long it took you to fall asleep
- What time you got out of bed in the morning
- How many times you woke up at night
- How tired you felt throughout the day
- Number of caffeinated/alcoholic beverages you consumed throughout the day
- What you did in the hour before you went to bed (screen time, etc.)
- Any exercise you did that day
- Anything else you think is relevant to your sleep
Of course, smart watches and other technology can track the same information for you – but having qualitative information that a watch can’t capture, like how you felt when you woke up, can make a written sleep diary even more effective.
What a Sleep Diary Can Help Diagnose
When shared with a medical professional, a log detailing your sleep habits can be an invaluable tool to helping pinpoint things that may be going on with your overall health. Frequently, patients who are experiencing sleep apnea are incorrectly diagnosed with insomnia – especially women, who have different risk factors for this condition than men. A sleep diary is a useful tool because it gives your doctor a full picture of what is going on at night, rather than simply relying on your verbal description of how you feel day to day.
How to Get Treatment for Sleep Apnea
If you do receive a sleep apnea diagnosis, that is actually good news – it means you are one step closer to receiving an effective treatment that can help you get a full night of restful sleep once again. Visit your dentist for treatment for sleep apnea. As an expert in everything related to your teeth and mouth in general, a dentist can help with oral appliance therapy. They may have you start out with a simple questionnaire and then decide whether or not a sleep diary could help further identify the problem.
Once you begin treatment for sleep apnea, don’t stop updating your sleep diary – it will continue to be useful in helping to measure the effectiveness of your treatment!
Meet the Dentist
Dr. Gary Radz is a highly experienced, award-winning dentist who specializes in treating sleep apnea with sleep appliances. If you are dealing with interrupted sleep, chronic fatigue, or general low-quality sleep, do not hesitate to talk to Dr. Radz about your symptoms and whether or not a sleep diary could help pinpoint the problem. Contact the Downtown Denver Sleep Solutions office today to get started on finding a solution.