Is Insomnia A Mental Or Physical Disability?

[14R]

Is Insomnia a physical or mental disability?????

[john999]

There is a disease where people are unable to sleep. It is fatal. Who knows why except we need sleep. I have insomnia and I know it has a number of causes. Some are physical and some due to long use of certain drugs for anxiety etc. If you take any kind of downer when you stop taking it you will get rebound insomnia and it can last for weeks. Heroin addicts when they are getting off the junk have insomnia. The body speeds up to cope with the opiate in the system and when the opiate or downer drug is taken away it takes time for the body to slow down. Thus insomnia and all the other symptoms. I would say myself don't take sleep aides. Better to get little sleep than to become dependent on these sleep meds because they do stop working in two weeks and then you get rebound when you stop taking them.

John

[Vync]

Welcome to Hadit!

It might be worth looking this up online or talking with a doctor to get a better scoop on it. It could be physical, mental, or caused by external factors like going by Starbucks a bit too often, -or- all of the above.

Here is a preview of WebMD's take on it:

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/insomnia-symptoms-and-causes

Types of Insomnia

There are two types of insomnia: primary insomnia and secondary insomnia.

• Primary insomnia: Primary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems that are not directly associated with any other health condition or problem.
• Secondary insomnia: Secondary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems because of something else, such as a health condition (like asthma, depression, arthritis, cancer, or heartburn);pain; medication they are taking; or a substance they are using (like alcohol).

[jesusplay]

it's a symptom

[paul554]

Since it is not covered specifically under the CFR it is rated analogous to other disabilities. Whether that means it is physical or mental depends on the root cause of the insomnia, whether it is tied to other causes, and if the symptoms overlap with other disabilities. Often times insomnia is a symptom of other conditions, but it can be a ratable disability on its own.

Edited March 5, 2015 by paul554 (see edit history)

[Julie1975]

My insomnia was combined with my pain disorder under mental health.

[broncovet]

Insomnia can be a symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and it can also be a symptom of mental health disorders, just like a cough could be a sore throat, or bronchitis, or lung issue.

[Mont36]

It is indeed a mental disability. The thing that is so confusing as far as Raters from RO's, they do things different. My Ro where I work says for example, sleep apnea is respiratory but another RO that has my claim folder says it is not instead mental. WTH......So don't let them tell you insomnia is anything but mental, and sleep apnea is respiratory. GOOD LUCK......