Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Insomnia is a highly prevalent condition, unknowing and unnecessarily affecting their health, physically, mentally, and psychologically.
Different tools to assess Insomnia
Insomnia assessment tools are based on history, questionnaires, and sleep diaries. Some examples of questionnaires are the Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep (DBAS) Scale, the Daytime Insomnia Symptom Scale (DISS), the Flinders Fatigue Scale, and the Global Sleep Assessment Questionnaire (GSAQ).
Insomnia Severity Index
The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) is a widely used tool to assess the severity of insomnia. It is a brief self-report tool to measure the patient’s perception of the insomnia. it has a 7-question to evaluate how severely the patient has the insomnia for the past two weeks. Each question is rated on a five-point scale and the total score indicates the severity of insomnia. A total score of higher than 14 indicates an optimal cut-off for insomnia as a disorder.
Insomnia calculator
This calculator is based on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI); You just need to answer 7 questions below to assess your sleep disturbance and whether you have insomnia. If you have insomnia, it helps to assess the severity of insomnia.
| Difficulty falling asleep: | Select opt one None Mild Moderate Severe Very Severe |
| Difficulty staying asleep: | Select opt one None Mild Moderate Severe Very Severe |
| Problems waking up too early: | Select opt one None Mild Moderate Severe Very Severe |
| How SATISFIED/DISSATISFIED are you with your CURRENT sleep pattern?: | Select opt one Very Satisfied Satisfied Moderately Satisfied Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied |
| How NOTICEABLE to others your sleep problem is impairing the quality of your life?: | Select opt one Not Noticeable A Little Somewhat Much Very Much Noticeable |
| How WORRIED/DISTRESSED are you about your current sleep problem?: | Select opt one Not Worried A Little Somewhat Much Very Much Worried |
| To what extent is your sleep problem INTERFERING from your daily functioning?: | Select opt one Not Interfering A Little Somewhat Much Very Much Interfering |
If you are experiencing insomnia symptoms for more than a month or if it is affecting your daily life, you should consult a specialist such as a sleep medicine specialist, psychiatrist, or neurologist.