Take the Sleep Quiz
A good night's sleep is important to your well-being. Since most people spend roughly one-third of their lives asleep, it's easy to see how the quality of sleep directly affects the quality of your life.
One out of every three Americans has a sleep disorder which makes sleeping or waking hours miserable. Many of these people suffer needlessly because they are unaware that a problem exists.
Once detected, most sleep disorders can be corrected. This simple quiz is designed to alert you to any problems resulting from poor-quality sleep.
If you have experienced any of the following symptoms in the last year, circle that number.
- I have difficulty falling asleep.
- Thoughts race through my mind and this prevents me from falling asleep.
- I feel afraid to go to sleep.
- I wake up during the night and can't go back to sleep.
- I worry about things and have trouble relaxing.
- I wake up earlier in the morning than I would like to.
- I lie awake for half an hour or more before I fall asleep.
- I feel sad and depressed.
- I've been told that I snore.
- I've been told that I stop breathing while I sleep, although I don't remember this when I wake up.
- I have high blood pressure.
- My friends and family say they have noticed changes in my personality.
- I am gaining weight.
- I sweat excessively during the night.
- I have noticed my heart pounding or beating irregularly during the night.
- I get morning headaches.
- I have trouble sleeping when I have a cold.
- I suddenly wake up gasping for breath during the night.
- I am overweight.
- I seem to be losing my sex drive.
- I feel sleepy during the day even when I slept through the night.
- I have had trouble concentration at work or in school.
- When I am angry or surprised, I feel like I am going to go limp.
- I have fallen asleep while driving.
- I feel like I go around in a daze.
- I have experienced vivid dreamlike scenes upon falling asleep or awakening.
- I have fallen asleep during physical effort.
- I feel like I am hallucinating when I fall asleep.
- I feel like I have to cram a full day into every hour to get everything done.
- I have fallen asleep while laughing or crying.
- I have trouble at work or school because of sleepiness.
- I have vivid nightmare soon after falling asleep.
- I fall asleep during the day.
- No matter how hard I try to stay awake, I fall asleep anyway.
- I feel unable to move when I am waking up or falling asleep.
- I wake up with heartburn.
- I have a chronic cough.
- I have to use antacids (Rolaids, Tums, Alka-seltzer, etc.) almost every week for stomach trouble.
- I have morning hoarseness.
- I wake up at night coughing or wheezing.
- I have frequent sore throats.
- During the night, I suddenly wake up gasping for breath.
- Other than when exercising, I still experience muscle tension in my legs.
- I have noticed (or others have commented) that parts of my body jerk.
- I have been told that I kick at night.
- I experienced aching or "crawling" sensation in my legs.
- I experienced leg pain during the night.
- Sometimes, I can't keep my legs still at night. I just have to move them.
- I awaken with sore or achy muscles.
- Even though I slept through the night, I still feel sleepy during the day.
Questions 1 through 8
A score of three or more in this section means you show symptoms of insomnia, a persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Questions 9 through 21
A score of three or more means you show symptoms of sleep apnea, a life threatening disorder which causes you to stop breathing repeatedly, often several hundred times per night as you sleep.
Questions 22 through 35
A score of three or more reveals symptoms of narcolepsy, a lifelong disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks during the day.
Questions 36 through 42
A score of three or more reveals symptoms of gastro-esophageal reflux, a disorder caused when acid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus during the night.
Questions 43 through 50
A score of two or more means you show symptoms of nocturnal myoclonus or restless legs syndrome, a disorder characterized by pain or crawling sensations.