INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX Please rate the CURRENT (i.e. last 2 weeks) severity of your insomnia problem(s). 1. Difficulty falling asleep NONE MILD MODERATE SEVERE VERY SEVERE 2. Difficulty staying asleep NONE MILD MODERATE SEVERE VERY SEVERE 3. Problem waking up too early NONE MILD MODERATE SEVERE VERY SEVERE 4. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you… Continue reading
Author Archives → Waiz Wasey, MD
Double Board Certified Sleep Doctor | Top Doc AZ '25, '26 | Sleepfluencer - IG dr.snoozz | Alumni: SIU, Mayo Clinic
Do I Have Insomnia? How to Recognize the Signs and When to Get Help
You lie in bed. Your mind is running through tomorrow’s to-do list. An hour passes. Then two. You start to wonder if this counts as insomnia, or if you are just a light sleeper going through a rough patch. This question comes up in my clinic almost every week. Here is how to tell the… Continue reading
In adults, does untreated obstructive sleep apnea, compared with no OSA, increase the risk of atrial fibrillation?
Clnical answer: Yes. Untreated OSA is an independent risk factor for AF, and the evidence base is now stronger and more mechanistic than a simple association. The American Heart Association states OSA is an independent AF risk factor even without other cardiac disease, though a fully proven causal pathway is still being established. Source of… Continue reading
What Is Beauty Sleep, and Where Did the Term Come From
You have heard someone call it their “beauty sleep.” Maybe you have said it yourself, half joking, before heading to bed early. But the phrase is older than you think, and the science behind it is more real than most people assume. Here is what beauty sleep actually means, where the term started, and what… Continue reading
In adults sleeping with a bed partner, does partner snoring versus a non-snoring partner disrupt the non-snoring partner’s sleep quality?
Clinical Answer: Yes. A snoring bed partner disrupts sleep more than a non-snoring partner, based on consistent findings across polysomnography and subjective sleep reports. Source Of Recommendation: B (inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence). Evidence used: Objective polysomnography from a small crossover study of 10 couples found that eliminating snoring with CPAP cut the partner’s arousal… Continue reading
In adolescents who use digital screens in the evening, does wearing blue light blocking glasses, compared to not wearing them, reduce insomnia symptoms or improve sleep?
Clincial Answer: The evidence does not support blue light blocking glasses alone as an effective treatment to prevent or reduce insomnia in adolescents. Small trials show the glasses blunt screen induced melatonin suppression and can modestly advance sleep timing, and the one larger, well conducted 2026 trial that showed a real gain in sleep duration… Continue reading
Idiopathic Hypersomnia: What You Need to Know
On average, people with idiopathic hypersomnia wait years for a correct diagnosis. Studies from the United States, the Czech Republic, and India report delays of 6 to 9 years in adults, and in some patients the wait stretches even longer. If you or someone you know has been struggling with unexplained, unrelenting sleepiness and has… Continue reading
Why CBT-I Is the Best Treatment for Insomnia
If you have insomnia, you have probably been told to try sleep hygiene tips first. Cut caffeine. Dim the lights. Stick to a schedule. These things help a little, but they rarely fix chronic insomnia on their own. The treatment with the strongest evidence behind it is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, known as CBT-I…. Continue reading
Can Poor Sleep Raise Your Risk of Dementia? Here Is What the Research Shows
If you regularly sleep six hours or less a night in your 50s and 60s, your risk of developing dementia later in life goes up by roughly 30 percent. That number comes from a 25-year study of nearly 8,000 people, and it is one of the strongest signals we have that sleep is not just… Continue reading
Restless Leg Screening – URGE
URGE QUESTIONNAIRE A brief screening tool for restless legs syndrome (RLS). Answer each question below. U – URGE: Do you have an urge to move your legs, usually accompanied by an uncomfortable sensation? YES NO R – REST: Does the urge begin or worsen during periods of rest or inactivity, such as sitting or lying… Continue reading