Two self-tests for sleep disorders are provided below.
SHORT VERSION SELF-TEST
The first is the short version with only nine symptoms. If you checked two or more, you may suffer from a sleep disorder and it is recommended that you see a sleep specialist.
q Snore Loudly
q Self-awareness or bed-partner observations
that you stop breathing or gasp for breath
during sleep
q Feel sleepy or doze off while watching TV,
reading, driving or engaged in daily activities
q Difficulty in sleeping 3 nights a week or more
(e.g. trouble falling asleep, wake frequently
during the night, wake too early and cannot
get back to sleep or wake un-refreshed)
q Unpleasant, tingling, creeping feelings or
nervousness in your legs when trying to sleep
q Interruptions to your sleep (e.g., nighttime
heartburn, bad dreams, pain, discomfort,
noise, sleep difficulties of family members,
light or temperature)
q Weight increase in the last 5 years
q High blood pressure
q Memory and concentration difficulty
LONG VERSION 5-PART SELF TEST
The longer version has 38 questions and involves assessment of five types of sleep disorders. If you check three or more in any one group, you may suffer from a sleep disorder and it is recommended that you see a sleep specialist.
PART 1: SLEEP APNEA – Potentially serious disorder causing you to stop breathing repeatedly, often hundeds of times a night during sleep.
q I have been told that I snore.
q I have been told that I hold my
breath when I sleep.
q I have high blood pressure.
q My friends and family say that
I’m grumpy and irritable.
q I wish I had more energy.
q I get morning headaches.
q I often wake up gasping for breath.
q I am overweight.
q I often feel sleepy and struggle to
remain alert during the day
q I frequently wake up with a dry
mouth.
PART 2: INSOMNIA – Persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.
q I have difficulty falling asleep.
q Thoughts race through my mind
and prevent me from getting to sleep.
q I anticipate a problem with sleep
several times a week.
q I often wake up and have trouble
going back to sleep.
q I worry about things and have
trouble relaxing.
q I wake up earlier in the morning
than I would like.
q I lie awake for half an hour or more
before I fall asleep.
q I often feel sad/depressed because
I can’t sleep
PART 3: NARCOLEPSY – Lifelong disorder characterized by sleep attacks during the day.
q I have trouble concentrating at
work or school.
q When I’m angry or surprised, I feel
like my muscles are going limp.
q I have fallen asleep while driving.
q I often feel like I am in a daze.
q I have experienced vivid dreamlike
scenes upon falling asleep or awakening.
q I have fallen asleep in social settings
such as movies or at a party.
q I have vivid dreams soon after falling
asleep or during naps.
q I have “sleep attacks” during the day
no matter how hard I try to stay awake.
q I have episodes of feeling paralyzed
during sleep.
PART 4: GASTROESPHAGEAL REFLUX – Acid backing up into the esophagus during sleep.
q I wake up at night with an acid/sour
taste in my mouth.
q I wake up at night coughing or wheezing.
q I have frequent sore throats.
q I have heartburn at night.
q During the night I suddenly wake up
feeling like I’m choking.
PART 5: PERIODIC LIMB MOVEMENT DISORDER or RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME – PLMS is uncontrollable leg or arm jerks during sleep. RLS is uncomfortable feelings in the legs at night preventing sleep onset.
q I have noticed (or others have commented)
that parts of my body jerk during sleep.
q I have been told that I kick and jerk during
sleep.
q When trying to go to sleep, I experience
an aching or crawling sensation in my legs.
q I experience leg pain or cramps at night.
q Sometimes I can’t keep my legs still at night;
I just have to move them to feel comfortable.
q Even though I slept during the night, I feel
sleepy during the day.
