In an interview with MD Magazine, Karl Doghramji, MD, a professor at Thomas Jefferson University, explained the technical definition of insomnia, and how that definition has helped shape the clinical understanding of its comorbidities.
And finally, what’s interesting about the new nosologic classification of insomnia is that we no longer look at insomnia being a primary or secondary phenomenon. We now look at as being a problem or disorder which coexists with other disorders, or is comorbid with other disorders. So we’re used to saying insomnia occurred because of this problem, because of that problem. Now, we say in some it’s comorbid with depression, or gastroesophageal reflux, or with sleep apnea.
