Insomnia - Introduction

Insomnia is difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep for long enough to feel refreshed the next morning, even though you've had enough opportunity to sleep.

Most people have problems sleeping at some point in their life. It's thought that a third of people in the UK have bouts of insomnia. Insomnia tends to be more common in women and more likely to occur with age.

It's difficult to define what normal sleep is as everyone is different. Your age, lifestyle, environment and diet all play a part in influencing the amount of sleep you need. 

The most common symptoms of insomnia are:

• difficulty falling asleep
• waking up during the night
• waking up early in the morning
• feeling irritable and tired and finding it difficult to function during the day

Read more about the symptoms of insomnia.

Stress and anxiety are a common cause of insomnia, but it can also be caused by conditions such as depression, schizophrenia or asthma, some medications and alcohol or drug misuse. 

Read more about the causes of insomnia.

What to do

There are things you can do to help you get to sleep, such as avoiding caffeine later in the day or heavy meals late at night, trying to set regular times to wake up and using thick blinds or curtains, an eye mask and earplugs to prevent light and noise from waking you up.

Try to relax by taking a warm bath one hour before you sleep or listen to calming music before bedtime.

Read more self-help tips for insomnia.

When to see your GP

You should consider visiting your GP if a lack of sleep is affecting your daily life and you feel that it's a problem. Fatigue due to insomnia can affect your mood and create problems within your personal relationships and work environment.

Keeping a sleep diary may help you and your GP understand your sleep patterns.

Treating insomnia

The first step in treating insomnia is to diagnose and treat any underlying health condition, such as anxiety, that may be causing your sleep problems. 

Your GP is likely to discuss self-help tips for insomnia, which can help you sleep better (this is referred to as good sleep hygiene).

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may sometimes be recommended, as it can help you to avoid thoughts and behaviours that are affecting your sleep. CBT is a type of talking therapy that can be carried out by your GP or a clinical psychologist.

Sleeping tablets are usually the last resort and are often only used in the short-term with the smallest possible dose. This is because they can sometimes relieve the symptoms of insomnia but they don't treat the cause. If you have long-term insomnia, sleeping tablets are unlikely to help.

Read more about treating insomnia.