Diagnosis of Insomnia

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The GP will ask questions about a personâ€™s sleeping routines, their consumption of alcohol, caffeine and other related substances, and find out about other aspects of their lifestyle such as exercise. They will also look at any other illnesses and medications that might be causing insomnia. Often a cause can be identified through these simple measures.

If the cause is not immediately apparent, the doctor may suggest keeping a sleep diary to show when you went to sleep, how long for, and whether you had disturbances in the night.

The most common type of physical test for identifying sleeping problems is polysomnography. This is a diagnostic test during which a number of physiologic variables are measured and recorded during sleep. Sensor leads (electrodes) are placed on various places on the patientâ€™s body (torso, head, etc) in order to record:

Brain electrical activity
Eye and jaw muscle movement
Leg muscle movement
Airflow
Respiratory effort (chest and abdominal movement during breathing)
Heart activity (using an electrocardiogram or ECG)
Oxygen saturation (amount of oxygen being absorbed by the lungs)

This test can diagnose conditions such as sleep apnoea. If carried out in a sleep research centre (rather than the patientâ€™s home) the patient may also be videotaped during the test, to compare the electronic readings with what was happening in the room.