Insomnia can happen at any age, and is more likely to affect women than men. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, people with certain risk factors are more likely to have insomnia. These risk factors include:

• high levels of stress
• emotional disorders, such as depression or distress, related to a traumatic life event
• lower income
• traveling to different time zones
• certain medical conditions
• sedentary lifestyle
• changes in work hours or night shifts

Causes of insomnia

Acute insomnia

Acute insomnia is normally caused by stress or an upsetting event. It can last for days, or even weeks.

Chronic insomnia

Chronic insomnia happens three times a week for three months or more. This type of insomnia is often secondary to another problem or a combination of problems, such as:

• medical conditions
• psychological issues
• substance abuse

Symptoms of insomnia

People who experience insomnia usually report at least one of these symptoms:

• waking too early in the morning
• unrefreshing sleep
• trouble falling or staying asleep

These symptoms of insomnia can lead to other symptoms, such as fatigue, mood changes, and difficulty concentrating on tasks during the day.

Diagnosing insomnia

Your doctor will ask questions about you’re:

• medical situation
• social environment
• psychological/emotional conditions
• sleep history

This will provide information that can help find underlying causes of sleep problems. You might be asked to:

• keep a sleep log
• recording when you fall asleep
• note whether you woke up repeatedly
• report what time you wake up each day

Treatment of insomnia

There is both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical treatment for insomnia. Your doctor can talk to you about what treatments might be suitable for you. You may need to try a number of different treatments before find the one that is the most effective for you.

Sleep hygiene training may be recommended. Sometimes, behaviors that interfere with sleep are causing insomnia. Sleep hygiene training can help you change some of these disruptive behaviors, such as:

• Ignore caffeinated beverages near bedtime.
• Ignore Avoiding exercise near bedtime.
• Minimizing time spent on your bed when you’re not specifically intending to sleep, such as watching TV or surfing the web on your cell phone.

Talk with your doctor before using any of the following to treat your insomnia:

• drug
• medicine
• supplement