insomniac
OTHER WORDS FOR insomniac
Origin of insomniac
historical usage of insomniac
Once you know the Latin root somn-, which you now do, then you will also recognize it in some related wordsā somnolent, meaning āsleepy, drowsy,ā somniferous, meaning āsleep-inducing,ā and somnambulate, meaning āto sleepwalk.ā
By now, you can probably guess that a somnambulist is a sleepwalker. Perhaps the most famous somnambulist is Cesare, a carnival attraction in the 1920 silent film The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari.
We hope this story hasnāt been too somniferousābut, if it has, pleasant dreams!
popular references for insomniac
ā Insomniac: An album by the punk band Green Day, released in 1995.
ā Insomniac with Dave Attell: A Comedy Central television show, hosted by Dave Attell, which ran in the early 2000s.
OTHER WORDS FROM insomniac
anĀ·ti-inĀ·somĀ·niĀ·ac, adjective, nounWords nearby insomniac
MORE ABOUT INSOMNIAC
What does insomniac mean?ā
An insomniac is someone who experiences insomniaāthe inability to fall asleep or stay asleep for an adequate amount of time.
Insomnia is often used casually to refer to occasional sleeplessness or a single instance of it. But in medical terms, insomnia typically refers to a condition involving a chronic inability to fall or stay asleep, meaning the inability is persistent and prolongedāit happens all the time. People are more likely to be called (or call themselves) insomniacs when the condition is chronic.
Less commonly, insomniac can be used as an adjective that can mean having insomnia, related to insomnia, or causing insomnia.
Example: I was an insomniac for years before finding the right medication and sleep regimen.
Where doesĀ insomniac come from?
The first records of insomniac come from the early 1900s. The word insomnia is recorded much earlier, in the 1600s, and comes from the Latin insom(nis), meaning āwithout sleep.ā This is formed from the prefix in-, in this case meaning ānot,ā the root somn(us), meaning āsleep,ā and the ending –ia, which is used in the names of diseases.
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorderāaround a third of adults may be considered insomniacs at some point in their lives. Insomnia can be acute (lasting one night to a few weeks) or chronic (three or more nights a week for three months or more). Some cases of insomnia are labeled as primary, meaning theyāre not caused by another medical condition. Those that are caused by another medical condition are called secondary. Primary insomnia is very often caused by things like stress, changes in sleep schedule, or an environment thatās not good for sleeping (like a room thatās too loud or bright). For instance, the worry and stress that can come with a major life change can cause acute primary insomnia. Secondary insomnia can be caused by things like anxiety, depression, asthma, and sleep apnea (a condition in which a person repeatedly stops breathing and starts again during sleep).
Clinically speaking, insomnia usually refers to sleeplessness so bad that it regularly disrupts a personās daily life with problems like fatigue and inability to concentrate. When people have minor difficulties in falling asleep during a single night, they may say that theyāre experiencing insomnia, but itās unlikely that they would refer to themselves as insomniacs.
In general, a sleep dysfunction like insomnia is called a parasomnia, and the names of many of these disorders are based on the same root word, including somnambulism (sleepwalking) and hypersomnia (excessive sleeping). A person who experiences hypersomnia can be called a hypersomniac.
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What are some other forms related to insomniac?
- insomnia (noun)
- anti-insomniac (adjective, noun)
What are some words that share a root or word element with insomniac?Ā
What are some words that often get used in discussing insomniac?
How isĀ insomniac used in real life?
Insomniac is typically used to refer to someone who has been medically diagnosed with chronic sleeplessness.
There's a massive difference in having trouble sleeping and being diagnosed as an insomniac
— Chris Tweten (@ctwtn) March 23, 2017
Been an insomniac since Day 1, but I've never felt so much animosity toward the āIām sleeping great!ā constituency as I do now.
— Jess McHugh (@MchughJess) April 8, 2020
Our kid is an insomniac. Moms, what's your best sleep trick?
— Sean Lowe (@SeanLowe09) November 28, 2016
Try usingĀ insomniac!
Is insomniac used correctly in the following sentence?Ā
Iām a chronic insomniac, so sleep never comes easily to me.