Insomnia is an extremely common sleeping disorder, but it can be difficult for sufferers to correctly identify. Taking a short insomnia test like this one can help you to realize that your sleeping patterns are not what they should be. After the insomnia test we will have a quick look at some of the things you can do to fix things, and get your night times back to what they once were:

• How long it take you to fall asleep at night?

1. My head hits the pillow and the dreaming begins
2. Between 5 minutes and maybe half an hour
3. More than an hour
4. I am lucky if sleep at all most nights

• Do you take sleeping tablets to help you sleep?

1. Never
2. Very rarely
3. Now and again
4. All the time, without them I’d never get to sleep

• When do you feel most tired?

1. When I go to bed at night
2. Generally in the evenings
3. It varies a lot
4. During the day, at work or when I should be doing things

• Why are you taking an insomnia test?

1. Just out of curiosity
2. Is that what this is?
3. I have heard about it and wondered if it might be what I have
4. I am pretty sure I have a sleeping disorder

People who answered a or b to all the questions are lucky enough to be enjoying trouble free sleeping at night. They should still be careful, as insomnia can strike to anyone at any time, but for the moment they are sleeping peacefully most nights.

If you answered c or d to some questions on the insomnia test then you appear to have some form of sleeping disorder. This is something which can be cured, but first you have to work out what is causing your lack of sleeplessness at nights.

There are many reasons for suffering insomnia, both physical and mental, and working out which one applies in your case can involve going to your doctor for advice and tests. However, in some cases the root cause can be identified fairly simply. If you find yourself feeling particularly anxious, or under a lot of stress, then this could be one of the contributing factors to your restlessness in the evenings. If you have gotten into a habit of drinking a lot of coffee or alcohol then this could be having an adverse effect on your system. Other factors which commonly lead to insomnia in a lot of otherwise perfectly healthy people are a lack of exercise, changes to their home life or sleeping patterns and even a simple change in the weather.

Taking the insomnia test is the first step in conquering your sleep disorder. You now need to dedicate a bit of time to thinking about the possible reasons. If you can think of no possible reason for your sleeping problems then it is probably a good time to consult a medical expert.

If you are suffering insomnia then you are in very good company; a huge number of people suffer from some form of sleeping disorder at some point in their lives. In order to help you work out what is causing the problem, and eradicate the root cause, here is a short insomnia test, designed for people who are aware that they have a problem getting to sleep but aren’t sure what is causing it or how to change things. This insomnia test is not designed to replace specialist medical advice, which is necessary in some extreme cases of sleeping disorders, but should be of use to people who are having sleeping problems due to some short term or fairly easily fixed reason.

1. Are you feeling under pressure, stressed out or anxious about something in you life?

This is not something to ashamed of. We all get stressed and anxious at some point, whether it be due to excessive demands at work, a new baby at home or money worries which never seem to end. The important thing is to accept the problem, face up to your responsibilities and do something about changing the situation. For example, if money worries are behind your night time problems then you can go to a financial expert and ask them to help assess your situation and give you advice on how to changes things. It is a cliché that we often build up ours fears about a problem to be are often bigger than the problem itself but, like most clichés, there is certainly an element of truth in the phrase.

1. Are you just not tired at night time?

It could be that you aren’t burning off enough energy during the day. This is a common problem in people who are used to an active lifestyle but who have recently settled down in to a more sedentary way of living. If you have just taken an office job, your kids have recently grown up or you have started driving to work instead of walking then this could be the reason why the insomnia test throws this up as being your problem. The great news is that this is a fun problem to solve. Going to gym an hour every couple of days, as long as you don’t do it too late in the evening, can be a good way to feel better and improve your social life. Walking to work instead of driving is a cool way to get a different perspective on your city as well as giving you the chance to arrive more invigorated at work. Spending more times with your children, nephews or grand children can also help you get the exercise you need in order to sleep like a baby again.

There are plenty more reasons for insomnia which can’t be covered in this short insomnia test. The best idea, in order to work out which ones are affecting you, is to take your own insomnia test; working out what factors in your life could be causing you sleeping problems.

Q. Do you drink a lot of coffee or alcohol, or smoke a lot of cigarettes?

If your honest answer is that you do then that could be a reason for your sleepless nights. Coffee is a great stimulant for getting you going in the mornings but drinking too much of the magic bean, especially at night, can leave you staring at the ceiling for hours on end. The same goes for alcohol. Alcohol can make you sleepy at times but its long term effect is the opposite. Smoking cigarettes is another habit which is virtually guaranteed to keep you up at night.

Q. Do you watch the minutes tick by on the bedside clock?

This is one of the worst habits which anyone with some form of sleeping disorder can fall into. If you can’t get to sleep then looking at the clock every five minutes is a temptation but it isn’t going to help you sleep any quicker, it is just going to put more pressure on you to try and force yourself to sleep, causing exactly the opposite effect.

Q. Are you doing this insomnia test at 3 in the morning?

If you are then you are doing half of what you should be doing. When sleep just doesn’t come easily you shouldn’t just lie in bed and do nothing. Getting up and moving around can help you gain that sought after sleepy feeling. However, you shouldn’t do anything too stimulating (if you don’t mind me calling my own insomnia test something stimulating). Watching TV is out; doing some light stretching exercises is in.

Q. Do you go to bed at roughly the same time every evening?

A common error is to mix up your body clock by chopping and changing your sleeping patterns. Try and stick to a set time for bed and a regular time for getting up in the mornings. This can be difficult if you have a young family or work shifts, but making an effort to give yourself a fixed night time routine will help alleviate your sleeping disorder.

Some of the recommendations included in this insomnia test can be difficult to follow, but you have to start by taking control of the problem and trying to find the solution, as no one else will do it for you.

1. Do you have trouble falling asleep at night?
2. Do you sometimes wake up during the night and have trouble getting back to sleep?
3. Do you often feel irritable or short tempered during the day?
4. Do you sometimes find it difficult to stay awake during the day?

If you answered yes to at least one of those then you are showing at least some of the signs of a sleeping disorder. The second part of this insomnia test will now help us identify the reasons for this.

1. Have you recently undergone a change in your lifestyle or home situation?
2. Do you have work problems, home issues or some other type of concern on your mind a lot?
3. Are your sleeping patterns a bit eccentric, with late nights often followed by attempts to go to sleep early in the evening?
4. Do you carry out little or no exercise during the day?
5. Are you a fan of coffee, cigarettes or alcohol?
6. Are you on medication of some sort?
7. Are you suffering from any sort of illness or feeling any sort of physical pain?

If you answered yes to one or more of the second set of questions on the insomnia test then you may have discovered the reason for your insomnia. What you do about it now depends upon which one of the causes is appropriate in your case, although some of the remedies are obvious. For example, if the insomnia test question you answered as yes was “E. Are you a fan of coffee, cigarettes or alcohol” then it could very well be these elements which are causing your long, sleepless nights. Try cutting them out to see if your sleeping patterns improve as a result.

If that doesn’t work for you then you could check out the other questions which you answered as yes in the test. For example, if you also answered yes to “D. Do you carry out little or no exercise during the day?” you should try and build some light exercise routine into your day. If the insomnia test doesn’t help you identify and change the cause of your sleep disorder then you should think about checking with a medical professional, who will check for medical reasons for your insomnia.

So take a few, sit down, relax, and look around.  Hopefully we can answer some of your questions.