8 questions to ask about insomnia
Insomnia is defined as trouble getting over, maintaining or having restorative sleep which impacts on our day to day functioning. This is despite having adequate time and opportunity to sleep (sorry parents of small children you don’t have insomnia just no opportunity for sleep!).
Insomnia can be categorised as short term or long term. Short term is sleeping difficulties on-going for less than 3 months. Long term is defined as symptoms for at least 3 times per week for at least 3 months (1).
So what should we consider if we think we have a sleep problem?
What is a normal amount of sleep?
If you wake up feeling refreshed in the morning, it is fair to say you have had adequate sleep. Outside of that the definitions vary. A number of organizations, such as the American Thoracic Society, the National Sleep Foundation, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the Sleep Research Society recommend that the optimal sleep duration in adults is 7–9 hours.
How long should I take to fall asleep?
Sometimes the difficulty lies in getting over to sleep rather than overall duration. The usual amount of time to fall asleep should be less than 20 minutes.
What is your sleep schedule or do you have one?
Having set times where we go to bed and wake up in the morning can help re-establish a good pattern of sleep. We’ll talk about his more in further blog posts.
What is your sleep environment?
The environment in which we sleep can also impact our ability to get over and maintain sleep. Is your bedroom screen free, peaceful and designed to get your the best possible night?
Are there any triggers for your poor sleep?
You’ve probably already considered this but the most common triggers for poor sleep are stress, jet-lag and shift work.
Any strange behaviours during sleep?
This is a good question to ask your partner if you have one. Do you snore or wake up repeatedly? This could be a sign of sleep apnoea. Do you constantly move your legs in bed? This could be restless leg syndrome. Odd behaviours during sleep usually indicate another diagnosis rather than straight forward insomnia.
Are you on any medication, or are alcohol and caffeine playing a role?
Certain medication such as Beta Blockers can cause sleep disturbance and may be the root of your sleep issues. Alcohol and caffeine also have a highly negative impact on our sleep pattern. (2)
Are you suffering with anxiety or depression?
Last question but an important one. Depression and anxiety are a common trigger for poor sleep. It’s worth exploring this with your doctor or using an assessment tool such as PHQ-9 questionnaire for depression (3) or the GAD questionnaire for anxiety (4).
Asking these questions can help to narrow down the triggers for insomnia and rule out some other medical causes. It can also help to keep a sleep diary to answer these questions in more detail and bring to an appointment with your GP. The Sleep Foundation has a free printable detailed sleep diary that you can fill in linked below (5).
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