A LITTLE LESS SCREEN TIME

Printable Sleep Diary (PDF)

Seven nights. One simple sheet. Yours to download for free.

Download your free US Letter diary

A blank insomnia tracker to fill in by hand each morning. No email, account, or payment required.

Download US Letter PDF

US Letter: 8.5 × 11 inches
One page · Landscape · Seven daily rows · Not a fillable PDF

Preview of the blank seven-day NiteLog sleep diary, with sleep fields, a five-point quality key, three daily habit checkboxes, and notes.
US Letter preview — six sleep fields, three habit checkboxes, then a wider notes column.

What is on the sheet?

Each of the seven rows has space for the date, bedtime, minutes to fall asleep, night awakenings, wake time, sleep quality, and notes. Use the date when you went to bed, even if you fall asleep after midnight. Wake time here means when you get out of bed for the day.

Quality is optional, with a plain-language key: 1 Very poor, 2 Poor, 3 Fair, 4 Good, 5 Very good. Each daily row also has three habit checkboxes: Caffeine after 2pm, Screens <1h before bed, and Exercise. Check a box if it applies; leave it blank if not. These are observations, not proof of what caused your sleep that night. The notes column lets you record things the online version does not have fields for, such as naps, caffeine timing, stress, or a long period awake. You do not need to complete every optional detail.

How to print and use it

  1. Download and print

    Load US Letter paper and download the PDF. Set your printer to landscape and actual size (100%). If your printer clips an edge, choose fit to printable area. The low-ink design also works in black and white.

  2. Write a few notes after waking

    Use rough estimates instead of checking the clock through the night. Write times in 24-hour format, or clearly mark AM and PM. Start with one to two weeks unless your clinician requests a different period; print another sheet for the next week.

  3. Look back without grading yourself

    Compare several nights, including how the night felt. A missed entry is fine. If tracking increases sleep anxiety, pause and ask your clinician whether a simpler approach would suit you.

The score is optional, and estimated

The sheet includes the same formula as our online tool: (minutes in bed − sleep onset minutes − night awakenings × 15) ÷ minutes in bed × 100. Each awakening is assumed to last 15 minutes; that may not match your actual awake time. Quality ratings are not part of the formula.

For times that cross midnight, add 24 hours before finding the difference. For example, 23:30 to 07:00 is 450 minutes. If the estimated awake time exceeds time in bed, check your entries instead of using a negative score. Neither a high nor a low percentage tells you whether you have a sleep disorder.

Paper or online: use what fits

Paper does not depend on browser storage and can be brought to an appointment. Keep completed sheets somewhere private, particularly if you share your home or workspace. NiteLog does not receive anything you write on them.

Prefer automatic estimates and a seven-record chart? Use the free sleep diary for insomnia in your browser. The PDF is a blank template, not an export of online entries, and it does not sync with the tool.

This tracking sheet is free. The companion book When You Wake in the Night is a separate paid product, not required to download or use it.

Frequently asked questions

Is this printable insomnia tracker free?

Yes. The US Letter PDF is free to download, without an email address or account. This blank tracking sheet is separate from the paid companion eBook.

What paper size is the PDF?

The PDF uses US Letter paper (8.5 by 11 inches), the standard size for US printers. It is a single landscape page with seven blank daily rows. Print in landscape at actual size, or fit to printable area if your printer clips the edges.

What should I write each morning?

Record the date of bedtime, bedtime, estimated minutes to fall asleep, remembered night awakening count, out-of-bed time, and an optional quality rating from 1 to 5. Use the quality key from Very poor to Very good and check the daily habit boxes for caffeine after 2pm, screens less than one hour before bed, and exercise. Notes can add context about naps, stress, or actual awake time.

Does the PDF calculate sleep efficiency?

No. It is a blank paper worksheet, not a fillable or auto-calculating form. An optional printed formula assumes 15 awake minutes per awakening, so the result is only an estimate. Use the online diary if you want automatic calculations and a trend chart.

Can I use the sheet instead of medical care?

No. It is for personal tracking and education, not diagnosis or treatment. A clinician may request a more detailed diary or a different format. Bring your completed sheets to an appointment if useful, and consult a clinician about chronic insomnia.