What is the Difference Between Primary and Secondary Insomnia?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The difference between primary and secondary insomnia lies in the underlying causes of the sleep disturbances.
- Primary insomnia is sleeplessness that cannot be attributed to an existing medical, psychiatric, or environmental cause (such as drug abuse or medications). It is present with no other co-existing disease. Primary insomnia usually lasts more than one month.
- Secondary insomnia is when symptoms of insomnia arise from a primary medical illness, mental disorders, or other sleep disorders. It can also be caused by pain, medication, or substance use. Secondary insomnia may be temporary or chronic, depending on the underlying cause.
In summary, the main difference between primary and secondary insomnia is that primary insomnia is not directly related to any other underlying issue, while secondary insomnia is a symptom or side effect of another problem.
On this pageWhat is the Difference Between Primary and Secondary Insomnia? Comparative Table: Primary vs Secondary Insomnia
Comparative Table: Primary vs Secondary Insomnia
Here is a table comparing the differences between primary and secondary insomnia:
| Primary Insomnia | Secondary Insomnia |
|---|---|
| Occurs without an underlying issue (health conditions, medication, pain, or substance abuse) | Occurs due to an underlying issue (health conditions, medication, pain, or substance abuse) |
| Accounts for 10 to 30% of insomnia cases | Accounts for 70 to 90% of insomnia cases |
| Less common than secondary insomnia | More common than primary insomnia |
| DSM-IV-TR Criteria: 1) Predominant complaint of difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or nonrestorative sleep for at least 1 month, 2) Sleep disturbance or associated daytime fatigue causes clinically significant distress or impairment in occupational or other important areas of functioning, 3) Sleep disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of narcolepsy, breathing-related sleep disorder, circadian rhythm sleep disorder, or parasomnia | No specific criteria mentioned, as it is directly related to the underlying issue causing the insomnia |
Primary insomnia is a type of insomnia that does not occur due to an underlying issue, while secondary insomnia directly occurs due to an underlying issue such as health conditions, medication, pain, or substance abuse.
Read more:
- Hypersomnia vs Insomnia
- Acute vs Chronic Insomnia
- Insomnia vs Parasomnia
- Primary vs Secondary Osteoporosis
- Primary vs Secondary Hypertension
- Primary vs Secondary Hypogonadism
- Primary vs Secondary Infertility
- Insomnia vs Sleep Apnea
- Idiopathic Hypersomnia vs Narcolepsy
- Primary vs Secondary Addison’s Disease
- Primary vs Secondary Care
- Primary vs Secondary Memory
- Primary vs Secondary Immune Response
- Primary vs Secondary Tuberculosis
- Primary vs Secondary Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Primary vs Secondary Data
- Parasomnia vs Dyssomnia
- Secondary vs Primary Sources
- Primary Research vs Secondary Research