semisomnia

English

Etymology

From Latin semi- (“half”) + somnus (“sleep”) + -ia. Compare with insomnia. Coined by British sleep expert Neil Stanley in 2007.

Noun

semisomnia (uncountable)

1. (neologism) A chronic state of low-grade exhaustion caused by too little or fitful sleep.
   • 2007 December 7, Catherine Vonledebur, “Too tired to get night's sleep”, in Coventry Evening Telegraph:

     Like many people, Heidi is suffering from the effects of modern society's non-stop nature, and she is also struggling to separate her work and home life - what I call the "Blackberry-Bushed" cause of semisomnia.

Quotations

• For more quotations using this term, see Citations:semisomnia.