Psychological status and levels of sleepiness-alertness among patients with insomnia.

Are symptoms of daytime sleepiness relevant among patients with insomnia? Patients with insomnia frequently report daytime consequences secondary to their difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of daytime sleepiness as defined by a self-reported measure of daytime sleepiness (the Epworth Sleepiness Scale). In addition, the study characterized the patients' psychological status using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. The study corroborated a relatively high frequency of excessive daytime sleepiness and psychiatric conditions among patients with insomnia. Furthermore, the results of the study suggest variation in psychological distress levels, according to the different levels of sleepiness/alertness.