Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can have a significant impact on a person’s daily life. Individuals with insomnia may experience difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up feeling unrefreshed. This can lead to daytime symptoms such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and mood disturbances.
There are many factors that can contribute to insomnia, including stress, anxiety, depression, medical conditions, and lifestyle.
Insomnia can be caused by:
Distressing events, such as a bereavement, a breakup, or exams.
Things that disrupt the circadian rhythms – our internal body clocks – such as shift work or jet lag.
Changes in the sleeping environment, such as having a young baby, or a sleeping environment that is noisy, bright, or too warm or cold.
• Screen time.
• Eating close to bedtime.
• Alcohol use.
• Smoking.
• Caffeine – for example in coffee, tea, and energy drinks.
• Recreational drugs, such as cocaine and ecstasy.
• Medications.
• Mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety
Almost everyone has trouble sleeping occasionally. For most people, this only lasts a short time. Some people develop long-lasting sleep problems like chronic insomnia. The reasons for this are complicated and differ from person to person. Some things which can lead to insomnia persisting include:
1. Psychological links between the bedroom environment and being awake.
2. Unhelpful feelings, thoughts or preoccupations with sleep, which make it harder to sleep.
3. Behaviors that make sleep quality worse, such as sleeping during the day, using sedatives, or spending more time in bed.
How common is insomnia?
Short term insomnia is very common. Almost all of us will have short-term sleep problems at some point in our lives.
Chronic insomnia is also common. Estimates vary a lot, but it’s been suggested that around one in every ten adults have insomnia.
Insomnia risk factors
1. Risk factors for insomnia include:
2. Age – it’s more common with older age.
3. Gender – insomnia is more common in women.
4. Having a family history of insomnia.
5. Frequent travel across time zones.
6. Shift work.
7. Depression or anxiety.
8. Certain physical health conditions – see previous.
How much sleep do you need?
The amount of sleep we need differs from person to person, and changes as we get older.
A good amount of sleep is as much as you need to wake up feeling refreshed, without feeling over-tired or sleepy during the day.
Sleep requirements change with age. The following are guides, although some people might need a little more or less:
The sleep needs of babies under 3 months vary a lot. Between 14 and 17 hours is recommended by some, although there is only limited evidence to support this.
1. Toddlers and infants – 4 months to 2 years – need between 11 and 16 hours.
2. Children – 3 years to 13 years – need between 9 and 13 hours.
3. Teenagers – 14 to 17 years – need 8 to 10 hours.
4. Adults need between 7 and 9 hours.
5. Older adults – over 65 – tend to sleep less, but a minimum of 7 hours is probably best
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