Better Sleep Council Canada (BSCC)

Sleep Test

How large is your sleep debt?

The following questionnaire is designed to determine whether you have a sleep deficit. Answer each question by selecting yes or no.

1. Do you usually need a loud alarm clock to wake you up in the morning?

Yes

2. Do you usually hit the snooze button to get a few minutes more of sleep when the alarm goes off in the morning?

Yes

3. Do you find it to be a struggle to get out of bed in the morning?

Yes

4. Do you often get sleepy after a large meal or from drinking a small amount of alcohol?

Yes

5. Do you sleep longer on weekends than you normally do during the week?

Yes

6. Do you often fall asleep within five minutes of getting into bed.?

Yes

7. Do you find that it is more difficult to attend to details or routine chores than it used to be?

Yes

8. Do you sometimes have trouble concentrating and remembering?

Yes

9. Do you sometimes find yourself getting very sleepy or dozing off when you are watching TV or reading?

Yes

10. Do you often fall asleep while relaxing after dinner?

Yes

11. When you’re a passenger in an airplane, car, bus or train and the trip lasts over an hour without a break, do you commonly find yourself getting very sleepy or dozing off?

Yes

12. Do you tend to get sleepy when you are sitting quietly at a public meeting, lecture, or in a theatre?

Yes

13. Have you sometimes found yourself getting extremely sleepy with the urge to doze when you drive and are stopped for a few minutes in traffic?

Yes

14. Do you drink more than four cups of coffee or tea (containing caffeine) during the day? (Remember to count refills; also count extra large take-out cups as two cups).

Yes

15. Do you often need a nap to get through the day?

Yes

A simple way to interpret your scores on this questionnaire is this:

With scores above 7 you will begin to notice the effects of your sleep debt in terms of reduced efficiency and feelings of well-being.

With scores above 12 your reduced effectiveness and changes in your disposition and mood will also be quite apparent to other people, including fellow workers and family members.