Recent research has shown that one in five Britons aren’t getting enough sleep, while one in three are reported to have insomnia.
According to the NHS, insomnia refers to the difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep for long enough to feel refreshed the following morning.
If you have trouble sleeping for less than three months, you might have short-term insomnia, which can be triggered by a stressful life event. Fortunately, the symptoms often fade on their own over time.
However, if your sleeping difficulties persist, you may have developed chronic insomnia. The Sleep Foundation explains that chronic insomnia is a long-term pattern where a person struggles to fall asleep or stay asleep for at least three nights per week for three months or longer.
Worryingly, chronic insomnia can lead to various health issues, ranging from cardiovascular problems to cognitive impairment.
Fortunately, Sleep Reset has created a free 10-question quiz to help you find out if you suffer from the sleep condition.
The science-backed questionnaire has been developed by leading sleep experts, using a Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), to assess the risk of insomnia based on the user’s responses.
The test will quiz you about what kind of sleeping difficulties you experience, how severe they are, how you feel the next day after a shut-eye, and more.
Depending on your responses, it will then assess your ISI and can even help you identify some of the root causes behind your sleeping issues. To take the quiz, click here.
It’s common for people with insomnia to suffer from sleep anxiety, but Dr Areti Vassilopoulos, from Sleep Reset, explained that relaxation strategies, such as mindfulness and good sleep hygiene, can help ease this response.
She told the Mirror: “The gold standard for addressing sleep anxiety as a factor of insomnia is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).
“The most important features of CBT-I are education about sleep regulation and behavioural strategies of stimulus control and sleep restriction.”
While it can be challenging to block out intrusive thoughts during the night, the expert explained that a helpful tip is to create a buffer between your day and sleep. “Take 30 to 60-minutes to wind down, using a consistent bedtime routine that is calming and avoids phones and screens,” the expert added.
The NHS recommends seeing a GP if you have struggled with sleeping for months, your insomnia is significantly affecting your daily life, and changing your sleeping habits has not worked.