I've always been uncomfortable describing insomnia exclusively as a symptom - simply because I know insomnia sufferers who have spent years trying to figure out the root cause of their insomnia without success.
Now, two doctors from the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx recently addressed the issue in the New York Times.
Asked whether it's possible to have insomnia without any underlying cause, their answer was pretty clear:
"Older schools of thought held that insomnia was always secondary to some underlying condition, such as a medical, psychiatric or psychological disorder.
But sleep specialists now believe that, in a minority of patients, insomnia occurs without any known underlying disorder."
Maybe it's time for Wikipedia to update their definition of insomnia.
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Last updated: November 8, 2013
