A word required for a person who sleeps very little

Hi,

Have a look at the words insomnia, narcolepsy, and possibly coma.

He is an insomniac.

He is a narcoleptic.

He is comatose.

Clive

Thanks, Clive.

I just looked them up.

Can I use these words in everyday conversation? I mean, aren't they medical terms? For example, my friend has no medical problem but he enjoys sleeping...long hours in the afternoon...sleeping late in the morning etc. Can I use narcoleptic? (if that's the adjective) for him? And so with the other words.

Tom

Hi,

It's not unusual to speak of 'insomnia', but we would normally say things like 'He has trouble sleeping'. Or for the opposite, 'he sleeps a lot'.

I find that people on the Forum often ask 'What is one word meaning . . . 'I tend to treat this kind of query as a puzzle to be solved, but I often wonder why people need just one word.

No, someone who enjoys sleeping and likes to take naps would not be described as narcoleptic. Someone who falls asleep while driving and can't watch tv for five minues without falling asleep is narcoleptic.

Also, "insomniac" describes someone who has trouble falling asleep and/or stayng asleep, and doesn't get the amout of sleep they need. There are also people who simply don't need ve

khoff(Clive is right -- people often ask for a single word describing a complicated situation. I'm always tempted to reply "There's no single word for that. That's why we have sentences!")


Thanks, Clive and Khoff.

In fact what happens is that many words exist in my language and of course other people's languages which may or may not have

Consider Wakeful,but it's a bit archaic,I think.

Sleepy or Somnolent  maybe good for that kind of person.

That makes sense -- people asking for a specific word because such a word exists in their native language. Thanks for the explanation, Mr. Tom.

There is a genetic mutation of the DEC2 gene that occurs in approx. 5% of the population that allows people to sleep no more than six hours a night.The rest need 8-9 hours a night.