The 11 Kinds of Insomnia

You don't have to lie awake for hours past your bedtime to have insomnia. The condition manifests itself in several ways: trouble falling asleep (known as sleep-onset insomnia), staying asleep (sleep-maintaining insomnia), or waking up too early (early morning awakening).

Sleep specialists may also describe a sleep problem based on its underlying cause, such as a medical condition or a psychological issue. To do this they use the 11 classifications of insomnia below, developed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Insomnia
General insomnia is a classification of sleep disorders in which a person has trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. These disorders may also be defined by an overall poor quality of sleep.

Adjustment insomnia
This disorder, also called acute insomnia or short-term insomnia, disturbs your sleep and usually stems from stress. The sleep problem ends when the source of stress is gone or when you adapt to the stress. The stress does not always come from a negative experience. Something positive can make you too excited to sleep well.

Behavioral insomnia of childhood
This disorder occurs when children don't go to bed on time unless a parent or guardian enforces a bedtime. If the children are made to go to bed at a specified time, then they tend to fall asleep at a normal hour. If they are not given strict bedtimes, then they may linger awake for hours at night.