Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day (5 page)

BOOK: Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day

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Identifying Your Sleep Problem

The most obvious sign of a sleep disorder is sleepiness during the day. Excessive sleepiness has varied causes and triggers that you need to know about if you intend to get to the root of your sleep issues. If you are sleepy, you may spend the next day wondering how to get a better night's sleep. If sleeping doesn't happen soon, you may become too sleepy to think about sleep. This circular pattern of being sleepy, worrying, and wanting to sleep is like not being able to see the forest for the trees. Your symptoms are right in front in you, and you are wandering through the forest and worrying. Wow, that drains your energy, doesn't it? Being proactive won't drain your energy; it will energize you. The first step is to identify your symptoms in the Sleep Disorder Checklist on
page 2
.

The questions will help you observe how you sleep so that you can change what isn't working and develop a new sleep plan. Consider whether each question is true for you. When you consider a question such as,
Do you wake up feeling like you barely slept at all?
you would answer “yes” if this happens at least two to three times a week. Think about how the issue is consistent or not, persistent or not, troubling or not.

Sleep Disorder Checklist

Question	YES
Do you have trouble controlling your diabetes?
Do you wake up feeling like you barely slept at all?
When you get into bed at night, do you find it difficult to shut off your mind?
Is your snoring so loud that it disturbs others?
Do you have difficulty remembering recent events or names?
Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with early dementia?
Has your depression continued in spite of taking antidepressant medications?
Does bedtime bring on feelings of anxiousness?
Do you wake up in the early morning hours and find it difficult to go back to sleep?
Do you suffer with morning headaches?
Do you wake up in a sweat with your heart pounding and feeling anxious?
Do you have difficulty staying awake when you are not engaged in an activity?
Does it take you a long time to get going in the morning?