Making the Diagnosis
The type of insomnia you experience usually can be determined from the symptoms.
Your doctor will want to know what your sleep pattern is and how tightly you
stick to the same schedule. You'll also be asked about any medications you may
be taking, as well as other drugs like coffee and alcohol. A general medical
examination and history may provide clues about other conditions, such as depression,
which may be contributing to or causing the insomnia.
There are specialized sleep disorder clinics that offer diagnostic tests for
insomnia such as overnight polysomnography. In this test, you sleep the
night at the clinic, wired to electrodes which measure the various stages of
sleep from light (stage I) to deep sleep (stage IV) as well as REM ("dream")
sleep. The polysomnograph can also detect sleep apnea.