This tool provides a quantifiable measure of sleep difficulties, using a brief self-report questionnaire focusing on symptoms experienced over the past two weeks. Typically, it asks about problems with sleep onset, sleep maintenance, early morning awakenings, satisfaction with current sleep patterns, interference with daytime functioning, noticeability of impairment attributed to sleep problems, and level of distress or concern caused by the sleep difficulty. A compiled score then indicates the severity of insomnia, ranging from subclinical insomnia to severe.
Quantifying sleep difficulties offers several advantages. It allows for standardized assessment and tracking of insomnia symptoms over time, facilitating effective treatment monitoring. Furthermore, a numerical score can aid communication between patients and healthcare professionals, fostering a clearer understanding of the problem’s impact. This standardized measure has become increasingly important in clinical practice and research since its development in the late 1980s, providing a reliable and efficient method for evaluating insomnia.
