Self-assessment: Are you too sleepy?
Are you getting enough sleep?
The National Sleep Foundation estimates that 10-20% of Americans have excessive sleepiness. Sleep is essential for the body’s restoration and repair, and it has a big impact on your daily function. When you have been awake for 18 hours your performance looks as though you have a 0.05% blood alcohol concentration (slight impairment). If you're awake for 24 hours, you have the performance level of a 0.1% blood alcohol concentration (impaired). Oh, no!
Well, are you too sleepy? Sleepiness is measured in two ways, try both. These self-assessments take into account our unique sleep needs.
Sleep Latency Test. This is the time it takes you to fall asleep. How long do you take?
The average adult takes about 10-12 minutes. Individuals with sleep apnea that are chronically sleep deprived take 3-4 minutes. Less than 10 minutes suggests that you are not getting enough sleep.
Epworth Sleepiness Scale. This is the most common clinical tool used to evaluate sleepiness.
A score of greater than 10 indicates excessive sleepiness. Individuals with sleep apnea score around 11-16, those with narcolepsy have scores of about 17.
Take the test below, is only 8 questions.
https://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/narcolepsy/diagnosing-narcolepsy/epworth-sleepiness-scale
What did you find?
What to do next if you are not sleeping enough?
Make sleep a priority, it is vital, check the article below.
Consult with your physician, you may have sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or another treatable disorder.
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need
Interestingly, although individuals with chronic insomnia are not getting restful sleep, they usually do not report excessive daytime sleepiness, more on that later.
If you want to know more about insomnia now, check my chronic insomnia page in “Services”
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