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Insomnia Severity Index

Insomnia severity over the last 2 weeks

The questions · 7

  1. Difficulty falling asleep
  2. Difficulty staying asleep
  3. Problem waking up too early
  4. How satisfied/dissatisfied are you with your current sleep pattern?
  5. How noticeable to others do you think your sleep problem is in terms of impairing the quality of your life?
  6. How worried/distressed are you about your current sleep problem?
  7. To what extent does your sleep problem interfere with your daily functioning (fatigue, mood, concentration, work…)?

How scores are read

No clinically significant insomnia

Your sleep pattern is not a clinical problem. Beware of health anxiety — over-fixating on sleep can itself become the problem.

Next step: Aim for resilience, not optimisation. Run one experiment at a time if you want to upgrade.

Subthreshold insomnia

Some insomnia symptoms. Often driven by arousal at bedtime (novelty-seeking screens, cognitive load), inconsistent schedules or environment.

Next step: Try a down-regulation routine or chamomile/apigenin as a 'frontal cortex off' switch. Check your regularity chart. Re-screen in 2 weeks.

Clinical insomnia (moderate)

Moderate clinical insomnia. Melatonin is not the answer — it resets circadian rhythm, it doesn't fix mid-night waking.

Next step: Ask your doctor about CBT-I (first-line treatment). Bring this score and your sleep log.

Clinical insomnia (severe)

Severe insomnia that is impairing your life.

Next step: See a doctor or sleep specialist. CBT-I is the evidence-based first line; a sleep study can rule out apnea or RLS as drivers.

Sources

Validation of the Insomnia Severity Index as an outcome measure for insomnia researchThe 7-item ISI; ≥15 indicates clinical insomnia.European guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of insomniaCBT-I is first-line treatment; hypnotics only short term.Management of chronic insomnia disorder in adultsStrong recommendation: all adults with chronic insomnia receive CBT-I as initial treatment.OrthosomniaCase series of people whose fixation on tracker data worsened their sleep — Galpin's health-anxiety warning has a name.

Frequently asked questions

What does my Insomnia Severity Index score mean?

Your sleep pattern is not a clinical problem. Beware of health anxiety — over-fixating on sleep can itself become the problem.

Is the Insomnia Severity Index questionnaire free?

Yes — all five screening questionnaires are included in SleepShred, scored automatically, with your history kept on your iPhone.

Is SleepShred free?

No. SleepShred Pro is $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year, with no free trial and no ads. Everything stays on your iPhone.

Track it, don't guess it

SleepShred turns this research into a 20-second daily habit: log your night, see which of your own behaviours move your sleep, and screen for the disorders nobody diagnoses.

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Educational summary of published research, not medical advice. Screening scores are not diagnoses. If a score is elevated or you feel unwell, talk to a clinician.