Definition: Dyssomnia is a term often used to describe insomnia and related sleep disorders resulting in wakefulness during times when someone should sleep. More commonly, dyssomnia refers to a condition that causes someone to have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or someone that has difficulty sleeping and feels tired. Dyssomnia is different from parasomnias, which involve arousal during REM and NREM stages of sleep and can cause alarming or frightening experiences.
Pronunciation: dhiss-ahm-knee-uh
Also Known As: insomnia, narcolepsy, central sleep apnea, apnea, sleep disorder, hypersomnia
Common Misspellings: dysomnia, dysinsomnia
Examples: There are many dyssomnias that result in fatigue and difficulty sleeping.