Insomnia – Is it a Symptom or a Disorder?

Abstract

Insomnia disorder is a common public health problem with a prevalence of approximately 2-5% of the population. It is of major importance to differentiate the insomnia disorder from the isolated symptoms and normal variants, and to define the secondary or associated conditions. Insomnia was mainly classified as acute and chronic insomnia disorder based on the 3rd edition of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. Many models have been developed to explain the underlying mechanisms of insomnia, such as the Drosophila model, the cognitive model, the psychobiological inhibition model, the neurocognitive model, stimulus control model, hyperarousal model and the “3P model” (Spielman model). Optimizing the environmental conditions, lifestyle changes and elaborating the triggering factors are the first step in the management of insomnia disorders.