Articles

ASSESSING YOUR SLEEP PATTERN

Like most physicians I've grown accustomed to having people accosting me in search of free medical advice—especially when they suffer, or think they suffer, from insomnia. Invariably these people are disappointed when I suggest they come to see me, or another physician, in a professional setting. But as you can see from the length of this book, the subject of insomnia is a very complex one: I would not be helping people by giving quick suggestions. In fact, I would need to ask many questions before I could properly address their concerns.

In the following section, I have included the types of questions I might ask in order to diagnose your sleep disorder correctly. And if I determined that you were suffering from a true sleep disorder, I would use your answers to these questions in formulating the most effective treatment plan for you.

Your accurate responses to such questions can make a world of difference in identifying the nature of your insomnia. Perhaps you drag yourself out of bed in the morning and complain that you "didn't sleep a wink all night." But do you actually lie in bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling, bedeviled by tangled, troubling thoughts? Or do you sleep intermittently, fitfully, or in brief, unrestful snatches?

Do you have trouble falling asleep initially, or do you awaken in the middle of the night, unable to return to sleep?

Is there some emotional disturbance—suppressed anger, for example, or recent grief—that may be contributing to your problem?

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