Sleep Inventory

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Name Date Section

Directions: Answer Yes or No to the following questions. Compare your answers to the statements in the Evaluation section.

1. Have you ever fallen asleep in class or while driving? 11. Do you feel sleepy during the day?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Yes ☐ No
2. Do you consider yourself a “night person” (function better 12. Do you take naps during the day?
at night)? ☐ Yes ☐ No
☐ Yes ☐ No 13. Do you snore?
3. Do you avoid the use of caffeine, alcohol, or other sub- ☐ Yes ☐ No
stances after 8 PM?
14. Do you have tingling and numbness in your legs or move
☐ Yes ☐ No them about periodically through the night?
4. Do you give yourself at least one hour to “unwind” before ☐ Yes ☐ No
going to bed?
15. Do you have a sleeping partner?
☐ Yes ☐ No
☐ Yes ☐ No
5. Do you have difficulty stopping your thoughts at night so
16. Do you use any sleep aids to help you sleep?
you can sleep?
☐ Yes ☐ No
☐ Yes ☐ No
17. Do you get about 20 minutes of sunlight per day?
6. Do you have a comfortable bed and pillow?
☐ Yes ☐ No
☐ Yes ☐ No
18. Do you have any sleep disorders like sleepwalking, narco-
7. Is the room darkened when you are sleeping?
lepsy, or sleep apnea?
☐ Yes ☐ No
☐ Yes ☐ No
8. Is the temperature about 68°F?
19. Do you get at least 7–8 hours of sleep per night?
☐ Yes ☐ No
☐ Yes ☐ No
9. Do you have a regular sleep time and wake time?
20. Do you use the weekend to catch up on sleep?
☐ Yes ☐ No
☐ Yes ☐ No
10. When you wake up in the morning, does it take you more
than 20 minutes to get out of bed?
☐ Yes ☐ No

EVALUATION: Sleep is a basic need just like food, clothing, and shelter. Without sleep, our lives can become miserable. The
incidence of sleep problems and disorders is increasing to alarming levels. Some college students think that sleep deprivation
and other sleep problems are “normal” in college. Once abnormal sleep patterns are set, they become difficult to change. Sleep
problems can easily be corrected, but it does take some time and adjustments. Sleep problems, when allowed to continue, can
result in absenteeism, illnesses due to lowered immunity, accidents, and accidental deaths.
1. Nodding off and falling asleep while driving is dangerous. going to bed 1 hour earlier at night until your pattern is set
You are more likely to be struck by a driver who has fallen to accomplish what you need to do during the day.
asleep than by a drunken driver. Falling asleep in class may 3. Many college students complain that they can’t get to sleep
interfere with attention, memory retention, academic perfor- at night. One reason may be because they are unable to stop
mance, and achieving future goals. thinking or worrying about things. Another reason might be
2. Some people claim they are night owls. In truth, they have that they did not have time to “wind down” before they went
merely set their biological clock to be awake at night and to bed. The most common reason for being unable to get to
asleep during the day. This often happens when people work sleep at night is caffeine use during the day. Stop caffeine
evening and night shifts. If you’re having trouble getting intake between 6–8 p.m. The effects of caffeine last at least
up in the morning and functioning during the daytime, start 2 hours.
 4. Bedtime rituals are just as important to adults as they are 11. Excessive daytime sleepiness or falling asleep when you’re
to children. A bedtime ritual should be at least one hour supposed to be awake and alert is something that requires
long. It may consist of tending to hygiene, walking the dog, immediate attention. One reason for fatigue is dehydration.
making lunch for the next day, setting clothing out for the We are more likely to be sleepy after lunch. One reason
next day, prayer, meditation, or reading a book. Watching for this could be a “fatty meal” at lunchtime. Try eating a
television as a bedtime ritual is not advised because it is dif- lighter lunch. If drinking plenty of fluids during the day,
ficult to watch for only an hour, turn it off, and go to bed. If eating a lighter lunch, and getting to bed early doesn’t
you are not able to do this, it is better to not watch television help, you may have a sleep disorder that requires medical
at all. intervention.
5. Before we can relax, we need to take care of business and 12. Napping is not a good idea because it makes getting to sleep
be prepared for the next day. It is easier to get an assign- at night more difficult. Some people say that they can get
ment done than worry about it all night long. Make a list by on 4–6 hours of sleep when they nap during the day. If
of things that you have to do the next day and forget about you are sleep deprived, a long nap may be in order until
them while you are sleeping. If you still have trouble get- you have a regular sleep schedule. If you are sleepy, getting
ting to sleep, try clearing your mind. You can do a number up and walking about may help overcome the urge to take
of things such as saying a prayer, counting sheep, or using a nap. If you are unable to shake off the sleepiness, then a
a mantra. A mantra is a one-syllable word said repeat- 20-minute nap is recommended. Any longer than that and
edly in succession while keeping control of breathing. For you will wake up groggy.
example, inhale deeply, and when exhaling, say the word 13. Snoring is a sign of an airway obstruction, which means less
“one.” If other thoughts creep in, go back to the word “one.” oxygen is getting to the brain. A person who snores may
Before you know it, you will find yourself waking up in the find they have attention deficits, mood problems, or they
morning. are just sleepy all the time. If someone says you snore, you
6. Relaxing is best when we are comfortable. This means might want to find out why. Sleeping on your side is the first
wearing comfortable clothing and controlling our sleep strategy to try. If that doesn’t stop the snoring, then you may
environment. The bed and pillows should be so comfortable need to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist to check for
that you look forward to “sliding into them.” You may have nasal, sinus, or pharyngeal obstructions.
to invest in a new mattress or buy some new pillows. If you 14. Restless leg syndrome will keep the sleeper and anyone
have noisy neighbors or roommates, you can turn on a fan with whom they sleep awake. If you wake periodically
or some other type of “static” noise to shut out the disturb- through the night, it may be because you work yourself up.
ing noise. Moving and thrashing legs about at night may be an indica-
7. Our brain tells us that when it is light we are supposed to be tor of a hereditary predisposition for Parkinson’s disease.
awake and when it is dark we should be asleep. A room that Restless leg syndrome can be controlled with medication.
is not dark enough will make sleeping difficult. You may 15. If your sleeping partner has sleeping problems, then you
need to invest in some shades, blinds, or curtains to block will, too. If sleeping with someone else is a problem, sug-
unwelcome light. gest getting separate beds. If you can’t sleep and you are
8. The ideal room temperature for sleeping is 65–68°F. You irritable or angry at your partner, a different bed may be a
will sleep better if the room is slightly cool. If you do not good investment.
have control of the thermostat, keep a fan in your room. 16. Sleeps aids are not recommended unless all other methods
9. Irregular sleep and wake times will confuse your brain and have been tried. You can also take a hot bath or listen to
body. We need a schedule that we can depend on to func- relaxing music (with no words). If you are not able to sleep
tion at our optimal best. In order to get 7–8 hours of sleep within 20 minutes, you can get up and do some homework.
per night, a bedtime before midnight is best. If you have When you are tired, go to bed. If none of these methods
to stay up late, do it on the weekends when you can “catch work, you can try an herbal tea (no caffeine) or an herbal
up.” Even though sleeping later in the morning sounds like supplement (like valerian), but they do not work for every-
a good idea, it can become a habit that results in missing one. Melatonin is not recommended.
morning classes or valuable time when you could have been 17. Our biological clock, which regulates when we are sup-
productive. posed to be sleeping and when we are supposed to be
10. Two signs of a sleeping problem are hitting the snooze awake, is regulated by exposure to sunlight. Artificial light
button several times in the morning and feeling groggy just doesn’t work the same as natural ultraviolet sunlight.
when you wake up. There is usually a “morning fog” but it Just 20 minutes of sunlight per day can make all the differ-
should not last more than 20 minutes. If it does, you need to ence in the world!
get to sleep earlier at night.
18. Sleepwalking, night tremors, narcolepsy, and sleep apnea sleep disorders are on the rise. Even though we have busy
are serious medical problems that can be very dangerous. If lifestyles and demands, this is one area of our lives we
you are not under a doctor’s care, you should be. If someone should not cut short. It may just shorten your life.
tells you that you do strange things at night, ask your doctor 20. Most people try to catch up on lost sleep on the weekends.
if you can have a “sleep study” done. It may ease your If you didn’t get 7–8 hours of sleep, you can make up for it
mind, or it may change your life. within 24 hours. After that time, whatever sleep you lost is
19. Almost everyone needs 7–8 hours of sleep per night. Over lost! If you stay out Friday or Saturday night, you may have
the past 20 years, college students have reduced the number the luxury of taking a nap or sleeping late in the morning
of hours they sleep to an average of 6.5 hours per night. the next day.
Maybe this is one of the reasons why sleep problems and

For Further Thought

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