How to make a Sleep Tracker on Google Sheets (+Free Template)

Tracking your sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If we’re going to spend about a third of our lives sleeping, why not track it in a fun and efficient way? In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a customizable sleep tracker on Google Sheets, complete with a dropdown menu, color-coded indicators, and a live chart to monitor your sleep patterns. Whether you want to identify trends in your sleep schedule or improve your overall rest, this tracker has got you covered. Let’s dive in!

Why Use a Sleep Tracker?

A sleep tracker helps you:

• Monitor Sleep Duration: Keep track of how many hours you sleep each night.

• Evaluate Sleep Quality: Use color-coded indicators to assess whether your sleep is optimal, suboptimal, or insufficient.

• Identify Patterns: A live chart helps visualize trends over days, weeks, or months.

• Encourage Better Habits: By understanding your sleep data, you can make informed decisions to improve your routine.

Google Sheets offers the perfect platform for creating a flexible and visually appealing sleep tracker. With features like dropdown menus, formulas, and charts, you can easily design a tool tailored to your needs.

Step 1: Set Up the Basics

1. Resize Columns and Rows:

   • Open a new Google Sheet.

   • Adjust the width of columns and the height of rows to fit your design preference.

2. Label Key Sections:

   • Merge two cells at the top of the sheet and label them “Date”.

   • Below this, merge another set of cells horizontally and label the row “Hours”.

   • Under “Hours,” add “Bed Time” and other relevant columns.

3. Generate a Sequence:

   • Use the SEQUENCE function to automatically fill in the dates. The formula looks like this:

     =SEQUENCE(rows, columns, start, step)

   • For example, to generate 28 days, adjust the number of rows and columns accordingly.

Step 2: Create a Dropdown Menu for Sleep Hours

1. Add Dropdown Options:

   • Select the necessary cells under “Hours” and go to Insert > Dropdown.

   • Add 10 options for sleep durations (e.g., 1 to 10 hours).

2. Color Coding:

   • Use these guidelines:

     • Red: 1-4 hours (lack of sleep).

     • Yellow: 5-6 hours and 9-10 hours (suboptimal sleep).

     • Green: 7-8 hours (ideal sleep duration).

   • Select Advanced Options to apply plain text and color codes for better visualization.

Step 3: Visualize Sleep Patterns with a Live Chart

1. Create Space for the Chart:

   • Merge some cells in the sheet to designate space for the chart.

2. Insert a Sparkline Chart:

   • Use the SPARKLINE function to generate a live chart based on sleep data. Here’s a sample formula:

     =SPARKLINE(data_range, {"charttype", "line"})

   • Replace data_range with the range of cells containing your sleep data.

3. Customize the Chart:

   • Adjust the chart’s color by modifying the color code in the formula.

   • Ensure the X-axis reflects the correct number of days in the month (e.g., 28 for February).

Step 4: Customize Your Sheet

1. Remove Gridlines:

   • Go to View > Show > Uncheck Gridlines to give your tracker a cleaner look.

2. Decorate the Table:

   • Add a light purple background or any color that fits your style.

   • Apply borders to the necessary cells for better organization.

Bonus Features

To make your sleep tracker more engaging, consider adding these:

• Daily Notes Section: Add a column to jot down any observations about your sleep, like dreams or interruptions.

• Weekly Averages: Use formulas to calculate your average sleep duration for each week.

• Comparison Chart: Create a secondary chart to compare your sleep hours with your mood tracker data.

Bonus Tip: Add a Personal Touch

Want to make your tracker even more fun? Check out my habit tracker with a growing alpaca theme! As you progress with your habits, you’ll watch your alpaca grow. It’s a motivating way to stay consistent. Get it for just $3 or bundle three spreads for $6, and you’ll receive a free cherry blossom-themed habit tracker.

Get the Free Sleep Tracker Template

To make things even easier, I’ve prepared a free template that you can download and customize. Click the link below to get started: