Insomnia as a disorder is rather common in general population. By definition, it causes distress and impairment in several areas, such as attention. Insomnia can present itself as an isolated condition or as a co-morbid phenomenon of various somatic and neuropsychiatric disorders; an example is adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), characterized by the triad of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

To identify individuals likely to suffer from chronic insomnia and/or adult ADHD, as well as to measure the impairment caused by these conditions.

To assess whether young adults complaining of insomnia are undiagnosed patients suffering from ADHD.

Adults recruited from the general community and students from two Romanian universities were invited to fill in a battery of scales consisting in the Romanian translations of the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire, Sleep Condition Indicator, Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale and Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale.

To date, three hundred twenty five participants enlisted: 208 young adults, aged 23 ± 3 (78% women) and 117 older adults aged 44 ± 11 (73% women). Chronic insomnia was suspected in 5% of the young adults and 15% of the older ones (9% overall). Adult ADHD was likely in 19% of the younger participants and in 9% of the older ones (16% overall). Half of the young likely to suffer from chronic insomnia were likely to suffer from ADHD, too, compared to only 12% of the older (p = 0.03).

Young adults suspected of chronic insomnia were significantly more likely to suffer from adult ADHD, too.