Do I Have Insomnia

'Do I have insomnia?’ is one of the most common questions we receive at our sleep center.  Of course, if you read our information addressing “what is insomnia” then you realize that this is a difficult question to answer as it depends on which definition you are using.

For example, if you have trouble falling asleep for at least 3 nights a week for one month and ask ‘do I have insomnia’ to a clinician using the ICD-10, they will say yes versus asking a clinician who uses the DSM-5 ‘do I have insomnia,’ the answer will be that you may have episodic insomnia.  And both will also seek to identify if your issues may be caused by a medical/psychiatric condition or the misuse of substances. Therefore, if you ask “Do I have insomnia?” you may legitimately receive an answer that ‘it depends.’

At National Sleep Center we believe that if you come to us with sleep concerns, it is not so important to answer the question ‘do I have insomnia’ as it is to understand your unique concerns about your sleep and work with you to achieve restful sleep.