Sleep quantity concerns duration; sleep quality concerns features such as continuity, timing, and feeling restored. The categories overlap, and neither a long time in bed nor a favorable app score proves that a sleep disorder is absent.
Compare the operations, not a score
| Question or field | Fictional completed example |
|---|---|
| Duration record? | Time in bed estimated |
| Continuity? | Remembered wakings |
| Timing? | Work schedule context |
| Daytime function? | Sleepiness or alertness |
| Care question? | What explains the recurring pattern? |
A worked situation: Time in bed estimated
Fictional example. A reader spends eight hours in bed but recalls repeated wakings and daytime sleepiness. Another has a shorter opportunity because of work. Their next questions differ.
Read duration and continuity together
Time available for sleep, an estimate of sleep obtained, interruptions, and next-day function are different entries. Do not collapse them into a single quality score. A duration number alone cannot establish that a person is well rested or identify a sleep disorder. Use the diary for the separate task of keeping a bounded record for a care discussion.