Sleep Diary to help with Insomnia

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I struggle with insomnia and someone suggested a sleep diary. The principle is to keep track of sleep by recording the date, bedtime, wake time, how many times woke up during the night, foods and beverages consumed during the day (especially caffeine and alcohol) and mood or stress level of that particular day. The theory is that over a course of several weeks, a person should be able to chart their sleep patterns and figure out what is causing the lack of sleep, or sleep disturbances. I was wondering if anyone had kept a sleep diary? Did it help you to learn why sleep was disrupted? What helped you to track down the reason why you werent resting well and helped you to change it?