Background  Sleep disorders are common in the general population, the elderly, and the terminally ill. Sleep deprivation causes reduced tolerance to pain and increased fatigue that prevents patients from participating in meaningful daytime activities and decreasing their quality of life. This Fast Fact focuses on the assessment of insomnia; it is the first of a series of three Fast Facts about insomnia (see Fast Fact #104 and Fast Fact #105).

Definitions and classifications of sleep disorders

• Primary Insomnia: difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or non-restorative sleep, for at least 1 month; does not occur exclusively during another mental disorder; is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance/medication or a general medical condition; and significantly impairs functional/social quality of life. [DSM-V-TR Diagnostic Criteria 307.42]. Inadequate sleep hygiene is a common contributor to insomnia; common factors that can disrupt sleep include but are not limited to – irregular sleep schedule, consumption of caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol, use of electrical devices with screens (e.g., cellphones, television, computers) especially if more than 2 hours in the evening. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-2) classifies insomnias into various categories:
  • Short-term insomnia disorder: Usually related to an acute physical/psycho-social stressor, change in environment, pain, or illness. The individual no longer associates the bed with sleeping. It is expected to resolve when stressor disappears, usually lasts less than 3 months.
  • Chronic insomnia disorder: Begins during infancy or childhood, etiology is unknown; patients may have learning disabilities.
• Sleep-related breathing disorders: e.g., obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, sleep-related hypoventilation disorders.
• Central disorders of hypersomnolence: includes narcolepsy, a disorder of excessive daytime fatigue and disruption of the sleep-wake cycles associated with abnormalities in rapid-eye-movement.
• Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders: includes “jet lag disorder”, “shift work disorder”, and other disorders from having a circadian rhythm that differs from societal norms.
• Parasomnia: a disruptive physical act that occurs during sleep or during sleep–wake transitions which may cause awakening or other disturbance in sleep. It includes nightmare disorder, sleep terror disorder, sleepwalking disorder and other parasomnias.
• Sleep-related movement disorders: examples include restless legs syndrome (see Fast Fact #217) and periodic limb movement syndrome (PLMS) which is involuntary, rhythmic twitches, typically ankle dorsiflexion, occurring every 20–40 seconds, leading to brief arousals and accidental kicking of bedmates. In contrast to RLS, PLMS occurs during sleep and patients often are not aware of it.
• Other: e.g., paradoxical insomnia/pseudo-insomnia/sleep hypochondriasis: Subjective feeling of insomnia, with no polysomnographic evidence of a sleep disorder.

Sleep History Obtain a focused sleep history from the patient and bed partner. If needed, the patient should be asked to record their daily sleep patterns in a sleep log for one week.

• Sleep hygiene. Has the patient altered their bedtime routine (e.g. change in bedtime, use of sleep aids, lying in bed watching TV or smart phone prior to sleep)?
• Sleep chronology. Evaluate the onset, pattern, and duration of sleep and whether the insomnia is transient, intermittent, or persistent. A persistent problem usually is a consequence of a medical, neurologic, or psychiatric disorder. Ask if the patient has difficulty initiating sleep, staying asleep, or both. Sleep apnea rarely causes disorders in initiating sleep. Nightmares (see Fast Fact #88) cause difficulty staying asleep and may reflect spiritual suffering. Ask about multiple nocturnal or early morning awakenings. Frequent awakening is often due to medicine and early awakening can be indicative of depression.
• Sleep environment. Is noise, light, and/or odors preventing sleep? In general, the darker the room, the better for fostering restorative sleep. This may be particularly important in the hospital or a situation where a patient has moved into an unfamiliar setting (e.g. children’s house).
• Physical symptoms. Are there physical symptoms interfering with sleep (e.g. cough, pain, dyspnea)? Symptoms occurring just prior to sleep may reflect primary sleep disorders.
• Medical conditions. Are there co-morbid medical conditions that are associated with insomnia?
  • Worsening of chronic medical conditions (e.g. CHF, COPD).
  • New onset or worsening depression and/or anxiety.
  • Drugs (e.g. steroids, beta blockers, psychostimulants); use of alcohol and caffeine.
  • Restless leg syndrome or periodic limb movements in sleep (see above).
• Spiritual concerns. Fears about dying may cause a patient to be afraid of falling asleep or to not want to turn off the lights; this is especially common in patients with dyspnea. This is in contradistinction to more typical insomnia where the patient is bothered by the lack of sleep.

References

1. Ohayon MM, Reynolds CF 3rd. Epidemiological and clinical relevance of insomnia diagnosis algorithms according to the DSM-IV and the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD). Sleep Med. 2009; 10(9):952-60.
2. International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 3rd Ed, text revision (ICSD-3-TR). American Academy of Sleep Medicine 2023.
3. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.); 2022. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787.
4. Bonnet MH, Arand DL. Diagnostic evaluation of insomnia. UpToDate; 2009.
5. Schenck C, Mahowald M, Salk R. Assessment and management of insomnia. JAMA. 2003; 289(19):2475-2463.
6. Bloom HG, Ahmed I, Alessi CA, et al. Evidence-based recommendations for the assessment and management of sleep disorders in older persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2009; 57(5):761-89.

Author Affiliations: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
Version History: Originally edited by David E Weissman MD and published in November 2003. Re-copy-edited in April 2009; 2nd Edition was updated by Robert Arnold and Rohtesh Mehta and published in September 2011; 3rd Edition published in June 2015; 4th Edition in September 2024.
Conflicts of Interest: None to report.