Quick Summary:
- Insomnia is a sleep disorder causing trouble falling or staying asleep, leading to tiredness and poor daily function.
- Common causes include stress, poor sleep habits, and mental or physical health issues. Chronic insomnia can lead to health problems like heart disease, depression, and reduced daily performance.
- You can prevent or manage insomnia by sticking to a sleep routine and avoiding caffeine and screens before bed. Remember, always seek help if it persists.
Millions of people wake up in the middle of the night, battling insomnia while others sleep peacefully.
Many people around the world struggle with this long-term sleep problem, making it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep, disrupting their nights and affecting their days.
Insomnia is more than just a sleepless night. It’s a complex condition that impacts physical, emotional, and mental health.
By exploring its causes, symptoms, and challenges, we will discover how insomnia affects both individuals and society.
What is insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that causes difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep, sleeping long enough, or all of them. It may cause you to wake up too early, and struggle to fall back asleep. Even after a night in bed, you might wake up tired, which can leave you feeling low on energy.
Having trouble falling asleep, waking up too early in the morning, or having a non-restorative sleep that leaves you tired and less functional during the day are potential signs of this disorder.

Why does insomnia happen?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that happens due to many factors:
- Stress and anxiety: Excessive amounts of them can trigger the fight-or-flight reaction in your body, which makes it challenging to unwind and go to sleep. When you worry about relationships, work, daily responsibilities, or health, it can feel overwhelming and mentally draining.
- Poor Sleep Habits: You may have trouble falling asleep at night if you have irregular sleep habits, spend too much time on screens before bed, drink alcohol, or consume caffeine close to bedtime.
- Mental disorders: Scientists have found that sleep difficulties are frequently linked to conditions including bipolar illness, anxiety disorders, and depression. These conditions may impair the quality of your sleep.
- Environmental factors: Uncomfortable temperatures, light, noise, and an improper sleeping environment can all interfere with getting a good night’s sleep. An uncomfortable pillow or mattress may also be a factor in sleeplessness.
Further reading:
Types of insomnia
There are two main types of insomnia:
1- Short-term insomnia: This type of insomnia lasts from a few days to a few weeks due to some sleep environment changes, consuming a lot of caffeine, or some stress.
2- Chronic insomnia: This type of insomnia is a persistent pattern of trouble falling asleep. If someone has difficulties going to sleep or staying asleep three nights a week for three months or more, their insomnia is classified as chronic.
Chronic insomnia can be associated with underlying medical or psychiatric conditions, long-term stress, or lifestyle factors such as irregular sleep schedules.
Other types of insomnia:
1- Sleep onset insomnia: This type of insomnia related to sleep onset refers to problems going to sleep in the morning. When someone has this kind of insomnia, they are unable to fall asleep, which reduces their overall sleep duration.
They also experience the consequences of their sleep deprivation the following day.
2- Terminal insomnia: It’s also known as late insomnia, which happens when someone wakes up too early and can’t fall back asleep.
This type of insomnia causes people to wake up much earlier than they want to, disrupting their sleep.
3- Insomnia comorbid: This type of insomnia occurs alongside other health issues or mental disorders.
It’s frequently connected to long-term medical conditions, psychological issues, or pharmaceutical side effects.
Insomnia symptoms
There are Insomnia symptoms, which may include:
- Finding it difficult to get to sleep at night.
- Suddenly waking up during the night.
- Waking up earlier than usual.
- Being exhausted during the day.
- Feeling irritable, melancholy, or nervous.
- Struggling to concentrate, pay attention, or recall things.
- Physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach problems, or tense muscles due to poor sleep.
- Concerned about sleep, stress, or worry about not being able to fall asleep, which can make insomnia worse.
Effects of chronic insomnia
According to studies insomnia can increase your risk for mental health problems as well as overall health concerns.

Physical health effects:
- Weight gain and obesity.
- Diabetes.
- Chronic pain.
- Inflammation.
- Heart disease.
- High blood pressure.
Mental health effects:
- Depression.
- Anxiety.
Daily functioning:
- Fatigue.
- Less sex drive.
- Worse performance at work or school.
How to recognize insomnia?
Acknowledging insomnia is recognizing a variety of symptoms associated with sleep such as:
1- Difficulty falling asleep:
- More than 30 minutes to fall asleep.
- Difficulty staying asleep (waking up frequently during the night).
- Waking up too early tired and unable to go back to sleep.
2- Having daytime impairments:
- Irritability.
- Mood swings.
- Depression.
- Difficulty concentrating.
3- Reliability: Relying on sleeping pills to fall asleep.
4- Symptoms: Having Symptoms occurring at least three times per week for at least 3 months.
How to Prevent Insomnia?
While many causes of insomnia are avoidable, other causes may arise for unknown reasons.
Although sometimes there is no way to eliminate insomnia, there are several things you may take to improve your quality of sleep:
- Establish and follow a sleep schedule: For most people, having a schedule is the best thing you can do for your circadian rhythm and sleep demands. Create a bedtime and try to stick to it, even on the weekends, holidays, and vacations.
- Be careful what you consume: If you eat excessive amounts right before bed, or if you consume alcohol, nicotine, or caffeine, it can interfere with your sleep according to science.
- Avoid blue light exposure: Studies showed that using electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, or computers before bed can interfere with melatonin production.
- Keep naps short: If you feel that a nap is necessary, keep it between 20-30 minutes. Avoid napping late in the day, because it will make it harder for you to fall asleep at night.
- Make a comfortable environment: Find a quiet, dark, cool, and comfortable place or room to sleep.
Further reading:
- How to sleep better at night naturally [10 Proven Methods]
- 10 Best Foods that help you sleep Better & Faster
When to visit a doctor?
It’s common to have some sleepless nights and insomnia symptoms, however. it’s not a good sign if they last for too long, you have to visit a doctor now:
- If you notice that insomnia lasts more than 3 days a week for a couple of weeks.
- If you notice that insomnia is affecting your daily life tasks.
- If you are tired the whole day and overthinking insomnia.
Remember, insomnia is a serious condition and you should not hesitate to seek help for it.

Conclusion
Insomnia is a common and difficult condition that significantly reduces the quality of your life by causing tiredness during the day, mood swings, and cognitive problems.
Additionally, it may cause significant long-term health risks, such as mental and cardiovascular conditions.
Ultimately, understanding insomnia as a significant health problem and prioritizing getting enough sleep is critical for your general well-being.
People can enhance their quality of life and effectively manage their insomnia by taking a proactive and knowledgeable approach, which can also promote a healthier and more productive society.