📋 What to expect
Sleep disorders: a major health issue
Sleep disorders affect approximately 30–45% of the adult population. Sleep quality directly impacts cognition, emotional regulation, the immune system, and cardiovascular health. Key types include: insomnia (difficulty falling or staying asleep), hypersomnia (excessive sleep need), parasomnia (abnormal behaviours during sleep), and circadian rhythm disorders (phase delay, common in ADHD and autism). Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with increased risk of depression, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
Signs of poor sleep
Indicators of insufficient or poor-quality sleep include: difficulty falling asleep (latency > 30 minutes), frequent night-time awakenings, waking too early without returning to sleep, non-restorative sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, irritability, concentration difficulties, and frequent reliance on stimulants (coffee, energy drinks) to stay awake.
About the PSQI
This test uses the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), developed by Buysse et al. (1989) at the University of Pittsburgh. The PSQI is the global reference scale for evaluating subjective sleep quality over the past 4 weeks. A global score > 5 indicates clinically significant poor sleep quality. The PSQI is used in thousands of clinical and epidemiological studies worldwide.