Insomnia Disorder

Overview

• One of the most common sleep disorders
• Microsleeps
• Problems initiating/maintaining sleep (e.g., trouble falling asleep, waking during night, waking too early in the morning)
• 15% of adults report daytime sleepiness
• Only diagnosed as a sleep disorder if it is not better explained by a different condition (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder)

Diagnostic Criteria

• Dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality
• Sleep disturbance causes significant distress
• Sleep difficulty occurs 3 nights per week or more for at least 2 months
• Difficulty occurs even when there is possibility for sleep
• No other physiological, medical, or mental disorders better explain symptoms

Facts and Associated Features

• Often associated with medical and/or psychological conditions
  • Anxiety, depression, substance use
• Affects females twice as often as males
• Unrealistic expectations about sleep
• Believe lack of sleep will be more disruptive than it usually is

Causes

• Pain, physical discomfort
• Delayed temperature rhythm (body temperature doesn’t drop until later, leading to delayed drowsiness)
• Light, noise, temperature influence ability to sleep
• Other sleep disorders cause secondary insomnia
  • Apnea
  • Periodic limb movement disorder
• Stress and anxiety
• Parental effects on children’s sleep
  • Parents’ negative beliefs about sleep linked to more infant waking during the night
  • Some kids learn to fall asleep only with a parent present