Do I have insomnia quiz - test to see if you might have chronic or accute insomnia
A good night’s rest is essential for your quality of life and routine. Test to see if you might have chronic or accute insomnia.
A good night’s rest is essential for your quality of life and routine. And while sleepless nights can affect even the soundest of sleepers, those who lose too much sleep regularly will find that it disrupts their life. In fact, the Sleep Health Foundation estimates that, on average, one in three adults has at least some degree of insomnia.
However, roughly one-quarter of these folks experience persistent symptoms. And while many people only struggle with getting enough rest occasionally, chronic insomnia is more challenging to treat. So, rather than wonder if you’re living with insomnia, keep reading to learn more about this condition. And then, take our quiz to see if you have chronic or acute insomnia.
Insomnia Risk Factors
The truth is that not every person living with insomnia has a coexisting or underlying condition causing the sleep disorder. However, some risk factors make a person more prone to experiencing recurring bouts of insomnia. For instance, major life events like job loss, moving, death of a loved one, divorce, or starting a new job are known to trigger stress leading to insomnia. Typically, women are more prone to experiencing insomnia than men because of hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy, the menstrual cycle, or menopause.
Here are some other common risk factors that can lead to insomnia:
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Certain medications
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Poor sleeping environment or habits
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Excessive use of nicotine, alcohol, or caffeine
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Changes in your schedule, frequent travel, or jobs with odd hours
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Mental health issues and chronic medical problems like anxiety, depression, arthritis, thyroid condition, or allergies
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Changes in your health or sleep patterns as you age
Symptoms of Insomnia
Commonly, those with insomnia complain about how difficult it is to function each day. Though symptoms will vary between people, they range from mood swings and anxiety to difficulties with routine tasks. Here are some other common signs that someone has insomnia:
- Waking too early
- Difficulty getting to sleep
- Waking up frequently through the night
- Morning fatigue
- Relationship issues
- Depression, moodiness, or irritability
- Forgetfulness
- Cognitive impairment
- Increased accidents or errors
- Ongoing anxiety concerning sleep
If you notice that these symptoms persist over long periods of time or get worse, it’s essential to speak with your medical provider about treatment options.
Do I Have Insomnia?
There are a few ways in which clinicians diagnose insomnia. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) are two of the most popular methods.
Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)
The ISI is a questionnaire that comprises seven questions. This self-report helps measure subjective sleep challenges. Each item is rated on a five-point response scale that goes from zero to four, with higher numbers meaning more significant symptoms.
The first three questions on the ISI measure the severity of insomnia by looking at the following:
- How hard it is to fall asleep
- Difficulties in maintaining sleep
- How often you wake up too early
The next four questions target:
- Assessing sleep satisfaction
- How easily other people notice the sleeping problems
- Anxiety about the sleep problem
- How the sleep issues relate to daily tasks
There are four severity categories assigned to insomnia. These are: No insomnia (score of 0-7), Subthreshold insomnia (score of 8-14), Moderate insomnia (score of 15-21), and Severe insomnia (score of 22-28).
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
The PSQI assesses a person’s quality of sleep. This self-report comprises 19 questions with varying response formats. For example, some questions are based on a sliding scale, while others are open-ended. These 19 factors include:
- Sleep quality and sleep time habits
- Sleep problems and disturbances
- Sleep latency, or how long it takes to fall asleep once the lights are out
- Subjective sleep quality
- Sleep duration and use of sleep medications
- Habitual sleep efficiency, or the percentage of time you’re actually sleeping in bed
- Daytime dysfunction
Aggregated scores range from zero to three points for each question. After the sum is tallied, the higher the score, the worse the person’s sleep quality.
Closing Thoughts
Do you have insomnia? If you display most of the symptoms that we discussed today, there’s a good chance that you’re suffering from a form of insomnia. Your best course of action is to speak with your doctor or healthcare provider. But in the meantime, go ahead and take our free sleep quiz for more insight.
