Creating a Sleep Diary
Because of its ability to compile data over long periods of time, a sleep diary is a crucial part of any diagnosis of sleep apnea or other sleeping disorders. Although a polysomnogram is the best clinical indicator of whether you suffer from sleep apnea, a sleep diary can help diagnose the severity of the condition. To create your sleep diary, place a notebook and writing utensil next to your bed. Every night before going to bed (since it may be difficult to remember during a waking event), record the date: knowing how frequent are your episodes is the main value of the diary, and this can be lost if entries are not dated. Let your partner or cosleeper know that he or she should also make records in the diary. Then, make sure to include all information about your sleeping habits, including:
- Waking events during the night
- Shortness of breath or breathing irregularities
- Snoring so loud it awakens you or your cosleeper
- Night sweats, anxiety, insomnia, irritability
- Tossing and turning, the sound of halted breathing or snoring
To read more about creating a sleep diary click here.
Sleep apnea is defined as the cessation of breathing during sleep for at least 10 seconds, and at least 5 times in an hour.
But there is help out there!
Make sure you also note effects you feel during the daytime that may be related to poor sleep, including daytime drowsiness, an inability to concentrate, or a lack of energy, ambition, or interest in typically engaging activities. For commonly-occurring events, it might be best to set off columns marked “Waking event” or “Shortness of breath” for each day before going to bed, so that you only have to put in a tally mark before attempting to return to sleep. Ideally, the sleep diary should not become a further disruption of your sleeping habits.
The time and effort put into a sleep diary will be rewarded by a better, more comprehensive, and more effective treatment of your sleep apnea. It is just as important to maintain your sleep diary following the onset of treatment, since this will help Dr. Shapira customize your treatment to fully correct your apnea.
To learn more about how a sleep diary can help your sleep apnea diagnosis, contact us at the Snoring and Sleep Apnea Treatment Center today to set up your free initial consultation.
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| OR 847-623-5530 | OR 847-623-5530 | |
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