Types of insomnia: do you know which one you have?
Many people believe that insomnia is simply the inability to fall asleep easily, but this is wrong. There are several types of insomnia that can manifest in completely different ways depending on each situation and/or individual.
Learn about the 3 main types of insomnia and discover which one you have:
Sleep-onset insomnia
Sleep-onset insomnia is when a person takes a long time to fall asleep, remains in a state of alertness, can't stop thinking, feels restless, feels like sleep won't come, or keeps tossing and turning in bed without being able to sleep.
Sleep maintenance insomnia
Sleep maintenance insomnia is characterized by nighttime awakenings. Here, the main difficulty isn't falling asleep, but rather waking up one or more times during the night after already being asleep. It could be what's commonly called "light sleep" or often other associated clinical conditions that interrupt sleep, such as chronic pain, nocturia (needing to wake up to urinate), or hot flashes commonly experienced by women during menopause.
Late insomnia
Late insomnia is when a person wakes up before their intended time and cannot fall back asleep.
Additionally, it's possible for an individual to have a combination of all 3 types and experience, for example, both sleep-onset and late insomnia at the same time.
Beyond this classification, insomnia has different severity levels that are directly related to how long the person has been experiencing sleep problems and the frequency or recurrence of symptoms, as well as their functional impact.
Learn about the different degrees of insomnia
Transient insomnia
You know when you've planned a trip months in advance and days before it happens, anxiety keeps you awake? This is an example of what we call transient insomnia, when there's some external reason that's naturally making you more restless and you have difficulty sleeping and resting fully. But be aware, if symptoms persist for more than 4 weeks or don't disappear after the important event, it could be a sign that the condition is worsening and deserves investigation.
Acute insomnia
Acute insomnia, on the other hand, can be considered when there's already a characterization of some factors acting to perpetuate the condition. For example, when excessive worry about sleep sets in, because the frequency of symptoms has been present for at least a month, occurring three or more times per week. Because there may be a longer period of sleep deprivation, this is precisely one of the factors that contributes to worsening the distress related to bedtime, and a fear of going to bed begins to develop. At this point, it's important to seek help from a specialized professional to prevent the problem from becoming chronic and leading to other more serious consequences for mental and physical health.
Chronic insomnia
Typically, in cases of chronic insomnia, difficulty with sleep has already become part of the person's routine, and they have difficulty recognizing when the problem actually started and why it intensified. It's essential to seek help from a specialized healthcare professional to investigate the reasons behind the insomnia and find the most appropriate treatment for your problem, which can vary from person to person. This is especially important when there's a late manifestation of sleep difficulty after experiencing trauma. Insomnia can appear from current stress but may relate to previous traumatic experiences, even if you're not aware of the connection between events.
Loss of sleep for long periods is highly harmful to health and can even compromise personal and professional relationships. Pay attention to the signals your body sends.
We can also classify insomnia by its origin; it can be primary or secondary. Although this classification has been abandoned by current diagnostic manuals, since insomnia should be treated regardless of whether it's primary or secondary, it's a way to specify insomnia cases that can be useful for determining the best therapeutic approach.
Learn the differences between primary and secondary insomnia
Primary insomnia
Primary insomnia is insomnia that cannot be directly attributed to any other medical or environmental condition, such as mental disorders, chronic pain, drug abuse, or chronic use of sleep medications—meaning you apparently have only insomnia and nothing else. It's estimated that 10 to 15% of people with chronic insomnia have primary insomnia.
Secondary insomnia
Secondary insomnia is when insomnia symptoms result from environmental conditions (influenced by substances), mental conditions (such as depression and anxiety), and/or physical conditions (such as diabetes, fibromyalgia, etc.). It's estimated that up to 90% of people with chronic insomnia have secondary insomnia. In other words, if you suffer from chronic insomnia, there's a high chance it originates from some other unidentified problem that needs to be properly investigated and treated.
So, did you identify with any of these types of insomnia? Tell us in the comments.
And if you're still unsure, take the test to identify your insomnia and receive a free tip to put into practice today.
