Sleep Test
Evaluates the existence of healthy sleep habits and any problems associated with tiredness and insomnia.
Below the tool there is more information on the sleep assessment and some guidelines on how to improve sleep quality.
The aim of this sleep test is to evaluate sleep issues from a clinical perspective and to check whether there are any consequences of sleep disturbances.
It checks whether your sleeping habits are damaging your health and provides advice on what is considered to be the right action, depending on the areas which are of concern.
Here are some ways of improving sleep quality, as recommended in the sleep test:
■ Create a schedule by sleeping and waking up at similar times;
■ Go for a walk or exercise before bed time;
■ Make sure you sleep in a dark and airy room;
■ Set a comfortable temperature in your bedroom;
■ Avoid thinking about problems when in bed;
■ Avoid caffeinated beverages in the afternoon.
Send Us Your Feedback
Steps on how to print your input & results:
1. Fill in the calculator/tool with your values and/or your answer choices and press Calculate.
2. Then you can click on the Print button to open a PDF in a separate window with the inputs and results. You can further save the PDF or print it.
Please note that once you have closed the PDF you need to click on the Calculate button before you try opening it again, otherwise the input and/or results may not appear in the pdf.
Sleep test items
The sleep test consists of 24 items that evaluate sleeping conditions, as follows:
1. Do you wake up feeling heavy or tired?
2. Do you feel more tired during the day although you sleep enough?
3. If you wake up in the middle of the night, do you have trouble going back to sleep?
4. Do you use to have dinner late?
5. Do you often wake up dehydrated?
6. Do you twitch or jerk your legs or arms during sleep?
7. Do you think stress or anxiety might affect your sleep?
8. How do you wake up in the morning?
9. How would you assess the quality of your sleep?
10. How long it takes you to fall asleep?
11. Which do you consider is your sleep problem?
12. How many hours do you sleep on average?
13. Are your perceived sleep problems impairing your daily activities?
14. Do you have other breathing problems that prevent you from deep sleep?
15. Do you consume caffeinated beverages in the afternoon?
16. Do you move a lot during sleep?
17. Do you wake up during your sleep?
18. Do you experience nightmares?
19. Do you or your partner snore?
20. Do you sleep in a properly aired room?
21. Do you consider you have comfortable sleep conditions?
22. Do you take baths before you go to sleep?
23. Do you consider you have a stable sleep pattern?
24. Do you undergo any treatment that could affect your sleep?
The test can be self-administered and the outcome is dependent on the perception of the patient.
Interpretation
The result consists of a brief description of the sleep related status and highlighting of areas of concern. Each result is individualized by the choices in the 24 items. The advice provided can be used as a starting point in improving sleep.
There are consecrated tools, such as the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) or the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), that offer information on sleep cycle, sleep quality and the possible existence of one or more sleep disorders.
These are some examples of the recommendations included in the result:
■ Feeling tired during the day, although you get your hours of sleep might suggest an underlying condition.
■ If you sleep less than 7 hours per night on a regular basis your tiredness and irritability might be caused by not getting enough sleep.
■ Waking up dehydrated might contribute to your overall feeling of tiredness.
■ Some breathing problems like asthma, sinusitis or polyps might prevent you from getting a good sleep.
■ Some drugs might affect your sleep so check the side effects prospect thoroughly.
Improving the quality of sleep
There are certain changes that can be made to improve the way you sleep and some of them may be easy to get on board with. Some of these first steps are:
■ Related to sleep cycle: Try to go to sleep and wake up at similar times, every day or don’t spend too many nights awake on a regular basis.
■ Related to exercise: Go for a walk or some exercise before going to bed.
■ Related to stress management: Avoiding thinking about problems when you go to bed, try reflecting on the day or planning the next day before you go to sleep.
■ Related to sleeping conditions: Make sure you sleep in a dark and airy room, at a comfortable temperature.
■ Miscellaneous: Refrain from spending too much time in bed during the day i.e. reading, doing work. Avoid beverages high in caffeine during the afternoon.
References
1. Irish LA, Kline CE, Gunn HE, Buysse DJ, Hall MH. The role of sleep hygiene in promoting public health: A review of empirical evidence. Sleep Med Rev. 2015; 22:23-36.
2. Stepanski EJ, Wyatt JK. Use of sleep hygiene in the treatment of insomnia. Sleep Med Rev. 2003; 7(3):215-25.
3. Tasdemir S, Oguzhan OZ. The factors influencing sleep quality. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2016; 19(3):422. doi: 10.4103/0972-2327.186859.
Specialty: Sleep Medicine
System: Nervous
Objective: Evaluation
Type: Test
No. Of Items: 24
Article By: Denise Nedea
Published On: March 15, 2017 · 09:57 AM
Last Checked: March 15, 2017
Next Review: March 9, 2023