Primary Insomnia Symptoms

Psychophysiological insomnia

• Sleep disturbance varies from mild to severe.
  
  
• Sleeplessness may manifest as difficulty falling asleep or as frequent awakenings in the night.
  
  
• Persons with insomnia often find that they can sleep well anywhere else but in their own bedroom.
  
  
• Persons with this type of insomnia tend to be more tense and dissatisfied compared to good sleepers. Emotionally, they are typically repressors (suppress their feelings), denying problems.

• Insomnia is long-standing, typically beginning in early childhood.
  
  
• Persons with idiopathic insomnia often complain of difficulties with attention or concentration or hyperactivity.
  
  
• Emotionally, persons with childhood-onset insomnia are often repressors, denying and minimizing emotional problems.
  
  
• Individuals often show atypical reactions, such as hypersensitivity or insensitivity, to medications.
  
  
• Insomnia tends to persist over the entire life span and can be aggravated by stress or tension.

Sleep state misperception: Persons complain of insomnia subjectively, while sleep duration and quality are completely normal. These people may be described as having "sleep hypochondriasis." They may subsequently develop anxiety and depression.