Name Date Section
Sleep  

How Sleepy Are You?

To determine how drowsy you are during waking hours, select how likely you are to doze off in each of the following situations:

Sitting and reading
Watching television
Sitting passively in a public place (such as a theater or a meeting where you're not directly involved)
Being a passenger in a car for an hour
Lying down in the afternoon
Sitting and talking to someone
Sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol
Sitting behind the wheel of a car while stopped for a few minutes in traffic
 
Your Score

Scoring:

11-16 You may not get enough sleep or the quality of your sleep may be poor.
17 or more You may have a serious sleep disorder and may benefit from consulting a professional.

Strategies for Better Sleep

The following strategies can help you get a better night's sleep; check off any that you try:

Go to bed at the same time every night (time: ), and get up at the same time every morning (time: ).
Exercise daily, but not too close to bedtime.
Don't use tobacco.
Don't use caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
Don't drink alcohol after dinner.
Eat a light snack before bedtime.
Write out a list of worries or a to-do list for the following day; then allow your mind to tune out such worries and distractions.
Don't eat, read, study, or watch television in bed.
Relax before bedtime with a book, music, or some relaxation exercises; give yourself time to wind down from your day's activities.
If you don't fall asleep in 15-20 minutes, get out of bed and do something monotonous until you feel sleepy. Do the same if you wake up and can't fall asleep again.

Sleep Log

To help track your sleep behavior, keep a log similar to the following for several weeks. Look for patterns or lifestyle behaviors, such as caffeine use, that may interfere with sleep.

Date
Time you first turned out the lights last night:
How long it took you to fall asleep:
Number of times you awakened during the night:
Time you woke up for the last time this morning:
Total number of hours you slept last night:
How well did you sleep last night? (select one)
Terrible night    1 2 3 4 5   Great night
How rested did you feel this morning? (select one)
Not at all rested    1 2 3 4 5   Very well rested
How would you rate your overall mood and functioning during the day? (select one)
Poor    1 2 3 4 5   Very good
Additional notes
Caffeine use:
Tobacco use:
Alcohol use:
Exercise:
Sleeping medications:
Naps:
Stress level:
Other:


INTERNET ACTIVITY

Adequate sleep is critical for stress management and overall wellness, but it is something that many college students fail to obtain. Visit one or more of the following sites or do a search to identify five strategies for getting an adequate amount of sleep. If lack of sleep or insomnia is a particular problem for you, consider completing the detailed sleep diary available at the Web site for the National Sleep Foundation.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine: http://www.aasmnet.org/disorderspub.htm
National Institutes of Health: National Center for Sleep Disorders Research: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/index.htm
National Sleep Foundation: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/
SleepNet: http://www.sleepnet.com/
SleepQuest: http://www.sleepquest.com/
Site visited (URL):


Strategies for adequate sleep (list five):


QUIZ SOURCE: Johns, M. W. 1991. A new method for measuring daytime sleepiness: The Epworth sleepiness scale. Sleep 14(6):540-545. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. SLEEP LOG SOURCE: Sobel, D. S., and R. Ornstein. 1996. The Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Handbook. Los Altos, Calif.: DRx. Reprinted by permission.

Copyright © 2004 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.