What is Insomnia

What is insomnia?  Insomnia is defined in different ways by different organizations.  The International Classification of Diseases - 10 answers the question of what is insomnia by defining it as a condition where there is a problem in initiating the sleep, staying asleep or waking up early in the morning at least for 3 nights/week for at least 1 month.  These problems are associated with significant distress and persistent preoccupation with the deficiency of sleep.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - 5 answers the question what is insomnia by defining it as a condition where a problem has been reported in initiating or maintaining sleep or there is an early morning awakening. This problem occurs despite adequate opportunities to fall asleep and must occur at least 3 nights a week.  It it associated with significant distress in a patient’s personal, social or occupational life.  If it persists for at least 1 month but less than 3 months, it is considered as episodic and if it persists for at least 3 months, it is considered as persistent insomnia.

The International Classification of Sleep Disorders answers the question What is insomnia by breaking it down into several types.  These include transient and short-term insomnias, chronic insomnias, insomnias due to medical disorders insomnia due to psychiatric disorders, and insomnia due to substances misuse (including misuse of sleep aids).

So, what is insomnia?  Basically, if you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking up too early on 3 nights a week for at least one month, you should be evaluated for insomnia by a sleep clinician.