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How To Use A Sleep Tracker Bullet Journal To Optimize Your Sleep!

A few nights of rough sleep may not seem like a big deal at first. But it can leave you feeling stressed, off-balance, and fatigued in ways you don’t always realize!

Sadly, it can be really hard to regulate your sleep schedule to make sure you’re getting that perfect amount of shut-eye.That’s why we recommend using a sleep tracker bullet journal to optimize your sleep schedule. It may sound strange, but keep reading.

We’ll explain the ins and outs of using a bullet journal sleep log, how to make one, and most importantly: how it can help you build a better sleep schedule, one night at a time!

Why Is Sleep So Important?

Why Is Sleep So Important

Getting enough sleep every night is a vital part of leading a healthy life. On average, most adults should be getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

By making sure you’re consistently well-rested you’ll reap significant health benefits, including:

  • Keeping your heart and blood vessels healthy
  • Regulating your metabolism and blood sugar levels
  • Reduces stress and anxiety
  • Reduces excess inflammation
  • Facilitates weight loss
  • Makes you more alert and energized during the day
  • Improves memory
  • And more!

If you suspect that you aren’t getting adequate amounts of sleep and it’s affecting your health, you may want to speak to a medical professional.

What Is A Sleep Tracker Bullet Journal?

And that’s where a bullet journal sleep log comes in. These days people use journaling to record all kinds of things: diary entries, dreams, goals & aspirations, diet, gratitude… so why not sleep as well?

A sleep tracker bullet journal is a daily (or should we say, nightly) log where you record when you go to sleep and when you wake up.

They are mainly used by people who are concerned they aren’t getting consistent amounts of sleep every night. These journals can be used in different ways, and with different results.

But they all essentially do the same thing: they track when you sleep when you wake up, and how much sleep you are getting every single night.

How A Bullet Journal Sleep Tracker Can Help You

sleep tracker sample

So now you know why sleep is important, but how does a bullet journal sleep log help you reach your goals?

Well, the main point of a sleep tracker is that it allows you to analyze your sleeping patterns and recognize any trends or issues that might be occurring.

This will give you a better idea of what is going wrong/what is affecting you, so you can pinpoint ways of changing and improving how you sleep.

The most basic use for a sleep tracker is to see how many hours of sleep you’re getting from night to night, and if you’re getting enough overall.

And if you’re not, you can find ways to ensure you get more. It can also be used to see which kind of sleeping schedule works for you: do you notice that you sleep for longer if you go to sleep before/after a certain time? Do you struggle to fall asleep on specific days of the week?

Keeping a sleep log bullet journal will help you identify any underlying issues you are having with your sleep, and it gives you the opportunity to directly address those issues.

By recording your sleeping patterns and habits thoroughly, you can improve your sleep quality, thus improving your quality of life!

What To Include

Your sleep log bullet journal doesn’t have to be just a basic bullet journal that only records when you go to sleep and when you wake up.

There are a few different factors you’ll want to track and record. You can be as simple or thorough as you wish. Here are some of the many things you should take into consideration when recording sleep habits in your sleep journal:

  • Amount of sleep: How many hours you are sleeping, rounded down to the nearest ten minutes if possible (eg, 7hr 40mins, 6hr 20mins). This lets you know if you’re getting the requisite amount of sleep per night.
  • Time frame: The time you fall asleep and the time you wake up. If you’re trying to get to sleep or wake up earlier this shows you what you’re currently achieving.
  • Sleep quality: How do you feel when you wake up? Are you well-rested, or do you still feel groggy and fatigued? Did you wake up at any point in the night? Recording your sleep quality will give you a deeper insight into how you sleep, and what might be affecting you or causing issues.
  • Goals for sleep: Consider setting simple sleep goals at the beginning of every week. Whether that’s getting a certain amount of sleep across the week, or on certain days. While you’re observing your notes at the end of the week you can also see if you achieved your set goals. Creating goals will motivate you to make your sleep a priority.
  • Notes about sleep: This can include a lot of things, including but not limited to:
  • Any sickness or injury that may affect your sleep quality
  • How late/early you are eating food before bed
  • How you feel emotionally before you sleep. Are you stressed or agitated? Have you had any thoughts/experiences during the day that might have left you feeling unhappy/anxious/frustrated?
  • The temperature of your bedroom when you go to sleep/wake up
  • How early you are using your phone/computer/tablet before sleeping.

Being able to compare any of these underlying factors to your sleep quality/sleep duration can help you see what effect they might be having.

Tips For How To Make A Sleep Tracker

There can be a lot of freedom and creativity involved with making your own sleep tracker. It doesn’t have to be limited to a simple spreadsheet or series of bullet points.

On the other hand, you also don’t have to put a lot of effort into it. It can be as simple as a blank page with separate margins for different days. Here are some easy-to-follow tips:

1. Start ASAP
The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be sleeping more soundly at night.
2. Make a template
We recommend making a simple grid, so you can at least record how many hours of sleep you get per night and at what time.
3. Make a separate table for additional info
This is where you’ll cover anything else you want to add, such as additional notes about your sleep.
4. Decorate It
Colors, stickers, whatever you want. This step isn’t essential, but putting more effort into your journal will make you more likely to use it regularly.
5. Start recording!

How To Use Your Sleep Tracker Bullet Journal

sleep tracker

Aside from recording your sleeping patterns and any other related information you think might be important, it’s super important to really analyze what you track in your journal.

The whole point of a sleep tracker is to use what you observe to help improve your sleep.

There are two simple ways to do this.

  • Observe negative patterns that occur in your sleeping schedule. The days that you go to sleep later than usual or wake up earlier than you need to, how often you use your phone in bed, whether you sleep less when your room is cold/hot.
  • Make adjustments based on these observations. If you sleep better in the cold, purchase or use a fan, or use one less blanket while sleeping. If you regularly sleep late on Thursdays, make it a goal to prioritize an early bedtime on that day, and so on and so on. The main idea is to figure out what isn’t going right with your sleep, and fix it!

A Subtle Revelry Sleep Tracker Printable

Alternatively, if you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own sleep tracker you can always use our free sleep tracker bullet journal printable!

Just click and print the copy, and you can use it to fill in all your sleep-related info. We hope our printable can help you fulfill your sleep goals and achieve a healthier, more consistent sleep schedule!

A steady sleep schedule with 7-9 hours of sleep per night is vital in helping you maintain your mental and physical health. Prolonged periods of poor sleep can result in long-term health issues. This is why we think the use of a sleep tracker bullet log can be so essential in ensuring quality sleep.

Don’t forget, a sleep tracker can help you to establish steady, healthy sleeping patterns, but it isn’t a catch-all solution to serious sleep issues.

If you are experiencing bouts of insomnia, or have implemented the use of a sleep tracker without seeing improvements, we highly recommend you contact a medical professional to help you get on the right track.

If you’re looking for more great life hacks or lifestyle tips, check out more of our articles at A Subtle Revelry.