🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 58 (from laksa000)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa058.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia","crawl_time":1776053757,"first_indexed_time":1706307434,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,healthcentral!www,\/sleep\/insomnia s443","src_root_hash":"12870066951298225258","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Insomnia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment","meta_descriptions":["Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep, resulting in impaired daytime functioning and quality of life."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Sleep Disorders\nInsomnia\nMedically Reviewed\nInsomnia or a Bad Night’s Sleep?\nOccasional tossing and turning is one thing—but if you’re experiencing regular sleep disruptions at night and trouble functioning during the day, it could be a medical condition.\nBy\nJump To\nWhat It Is\nTypes\nSymptoms\nDaytime Effects\nCauses\nRisk Factors\nComplications\nDiagnosis\nTreating and Preventing\nOutlook\nYou might toss around the term insomnia after hours of desperately staring at the ceiling but there’s a difference between a single sleepless night and a string of them (or even many months of them!) that typifies this sleep condition.\nFor sure, whether your\nrestless nights\nare frequent or few and far between, it feels incredibly stressful when it happens. But there are differences when it comes to the long-term effects on your health. “One night of bad sleep will not destroy your life,” says\nSeema Khosla\n, M.D., the medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo, ND. But insomnia, she cautions, can have very deleterious effects, causing headaches, mood changes, and even contributing to chronic health issues like diabetes.\nAbout 30% of adults have symptoms of insomnia, per the\nAmerican Academy of Sleep Medicine\n, so sleeping is consistently difficult for you, you’re not alone. Here, we asked experts like Dr. Khosla what to know about insomnia, when to talk to a doctor, and how to get the sleep you so desperately need.\nInsomnia is defined as either a short-term (acute) or longer-term (chronic) inability to get consistent sleep. Most adults need\nseven to nine hours of shuteye\ndaily, though the right number for\nyou\ncan be highly individual. Insomnia is typically considered chronic when it happens at least\nthree nights per week for three months or longer\n. However, Dr. Khosla notes that it’s worth talking to a doctor if your inability to get good sleep is consistently, negatively impacting your waking life, whether you meet an official definition or not.\nRather than clock-counting at night (which can hurt more than it helps) or relying on your smartwatch to track your sleep, she suggests people focus most of their energy on how they feel during the day. “Sometimes someone will come in who says they feel fine all day, but they’re concerned because their sleep tracker says they're only getting an hour of deep sleep,” she notes. Daytime impacts are the biggest telltale sign of an issue. Meanwhile, if you always feel tired and moody, and have a hard time waking up, Dr. Khosla says it’s worth talking to someone, even if your smartwatch says you’re getting a perfect eight hours each night.\nThe International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 3rd edition (ICSD-III) now classifies most cases of insomnia into two main categories, per\nStatPearls\n:\nShort-term insomnia.\nInsomnia that lasts under three months (also sometimes called\ntransient\nor\nacute insomnia\n) fall into this category.\nChronic insomnia.\nInsomnia that lasts for three nights per week for at least three months is considered chronic.\nDoctors used to categorize insomnia by its cause,\nthe National Library of Medicine\nnotes. It was usually divided into two categories:\nPrimary insomnia.\nThis type of insomnia is not linked to medications, a health condition, or a specific problem.\nSecondary insomnia.\nThis refers to having trouble sleeping as a secondary issue to another health condition or issue (such as pain, restless leg syndrome,\nsleep apnea\n, asthma, depression, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, or heartburn, a medication, or substance used).\nMeanwhile, Dr. Khosla also breaks down chronic insomnia for her patients by\nhow\nand\nwhen\nit impacts their sleep:\nSleep-onset insomnia:\nTrouble with falling asleep.\nSleep-maintenance insomnia:\nProblems staying asleep, a.k.a. waking up for long period in the night.\nMixed insomnia:\nHaving issues with both falling asleep and staying asleep.\nIt can be hard to define what it means to have “trouble” falling asleep, as the amount of time that constitutes “trouble” can feel arbitrary, says\nAngela Holliday-Bell\n, M.D. a board-certified physician and certified sleep specialist in Chicago. But she says a good rule of thumb is that it should take less than 20 minutes to fall asleep. Since you’re likely not aware of exactly how long it took you to drift off, how you feel during your waking hours may be the ultimate judge.\nIt’s entirely possible to\nbelieve\nyou haven’t slept when you actually have. This is known as\nparadoxical insomnia\n, which falls under\nchronic insomnia\nbut usually indicates poor quality sleep rather than wakefulness. People with paradoxical insomnia feel like they’re awake when they’re asleep, so they underestimate how many hours they slept and can feel like they’ve hardly slept despite logging a standard night’s sleep, according to\nThe Sleep Foundation\n. “Sometimes there is a sensation of\nI'm awake\n,” Dr. Khosla explains. “You’ll tell your spouse you got 15 minutes of sleep, but they say you were snoring the second your head hit the pillow. There’s a disconnect between their subjective experience versus the objective experience and a lot of the time, it’s because they’re getting super light sleep, so the brain doesn’t feel like it’s asleep.” This can also be due to\nsleep apnea\n, Dr. Khosla cautions, so it’s important to seek help if this happens to you regularly.\nUnsurprising to anyone who’s ever slept badly, insomnia can make you feel wretched. Per\nMayo Clinic\n, symptoms include:\nBrain fog\nFatigue or low energy\nFeeling cranky, depressed or anxious\nFeeling exhausted during the day\nHaving a hard time falling asleep (obviously)\nHaving a hard time focusing\nMaking more mistakes\nMemory problems\nOngoing worries about sleep\nWaking up during the night\nWaking up too early\nAs someone who’s experienced insomnia herself, Dr. Holliday-Bell is empathetic toward those who are struggling with it. “Insomnia can include waking up with headaches, experiencing a lack of motivation, falling asleep when you’re not meaning to, feeling the need to nap, and craving multiple cups of coffee,” she adds.\nHow you sleep (or don’t) at night massively affects how you function during the day, explains Dr. Khosla. Some daytime impacts of insomnia include:\nDecreased functioning or productivity in an academic or work setting\nDifficulty with concentrating, brain fog, or impaired attention or memory\nImpacts on interpersonal or social interactions\nSusceptibility to errors and accidents\nGetting to the root cause of an ongoing sleep issue can be the first step in scoring a better night’s rest. Researchers have identified the most common triggers.\nGenetics\nResearch has shown\nthat genetics play a major role in ongoing sleeplessness. “If both your parents have [experienced] insomnia, there’s a good chance you’ll have it [at some point],” Dr. Holliday-Bell notes. “Though there’s a higher tendency towards females having it than males.”\nHowever, even if family history makes you prone to insomnia, it often takes a combination of factors—including lifestyle habits—to trigger it. “Things like stress or drinking lots of coffee to stay up and work will throw you over the threshold that's already lower just because of your genetics,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says.\nBrain Activity Differences\nResearch in the last decade out of Johns Hopkins University of Medicine found that differences in brain functioning may also play a role in chronic insomnia. A\nstudy in\nSleep\nfound that the motor cortex in the brain of those with chronic insomnia tended to be more adaptable to change, while the neurons in that region were more “excitable.” This furthered research that showed that those who have insomnia may be processing information more constantly, which may interfere with sleep. “Insomnia is not a nighttime disorder. It’s a 24-hour brain condition, like a light switch that is always on,” according to\nstudy co-author Rachel E. Salas, M.D\n.\nMedical Conditions\nBeyond sleep apnea, many other\nmedical conditions can interfere with sleep\n. For example, “\nchronic pain\nis so hard because it may cause arousal that keeps waking you up,” Dr. Khosla says. Conditions that can steal your sleep include:\nAcid reflux\nAlzheimer’s\nAsthma\nCancer\nDiabetes\nGERD\nOveractive thyroid\nParkinson’s\n“Historically, sleep is something that has been relegated to its own little corner in the outpatient world. We haven't fully grasped this idea that sleep trickles into everything,” Dr. Khosla says, adding that trouble with any organ system can have an impact on your sleep.\nMedications or Substances\nIn addition to everyday culprits like alcohol and caffeine, the medications you take can impact your sleep, causing insomnia, Dr. Khosla explains. “If you have\nCOPD\nor\nasthma\n, medications we use to treat those disorders can lead you to stay awake,” she says. “When we use beta blockers for\nheart failure\nor\natrial fibrillation\n, those can cause nightmares that impact sleep.” Similarly, antidepressants, some pain, allergy or cold medications, and weight-loss drugs can disrupt sleep, per\nMayo Clinic\n.\nMental Health Conditions\nAnxiety\nand\ndepression\ncan be both symptoms\nand\ncauses of insomnia. “There’s that ‘chicken vs. the egg’ relationship there,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says, noting that, in some people with both insomnia and anxiety, it can be hard to tell which came first. Similarly, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders can also impact sleep negatively. About 40% of adults with insomnia also had a diagnosable mental health disorder, most often depression, an article in\nThe Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine\nnotes. If you’re struggling with your\nmental health and it’s impacting your sleep\n, talk to your doctor.\nLife Circumstances and Habits\nThe circumstances and stressors in your life are going to play a major role in your insomnia Dr. Khosla says. For instance, if you have a super important project coming up at work or school, you might experience short-term insomnia. Likewise, if you have a new baby in the house, or you’ve recently moved, or you’ve changed time zones, these can all lead to sleeplessness, typically short-term.\nMeanwhile, your daily habits also have an impact, Dr. Khosla adds. If you’re scrolling on TikTok, basking in blue light before bed, it might negatively impact your sleep. If you’re super inconsistent on what time you hit the hay, you might also have more issues with insomnia.\nSeveral risk factors predispose you to chronic insomnia, per\nThe Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine\n,\nincluding:\nAge (older folks are more prone)\nGender (women are more likely to have insomnia)\nHaving comorbid medical or mental health conditions\n“The biggest danger of insomnia is an acute complication—say, falling asleep at the wheel,” says Dr. Holliday-Bell. “A lot of traffic accidents are due to drowsy driving or falling asleep while driving. If you operate heavy machinery at work, you're more prone to accidents if you have insomnia.”\nBut insomnia can also jeopardize your health over the long haul. “Chronic insomnia increases your risk of significant longer-term conditions like\ncardiovascular disease\n,\nhigh blood pressure\n,\nstroke\n, and\ndiabetes\n,” Dr. Holliday-Bell adds.\nThe National Library of Medicine\nnotes that complications of insomnia can include:\nCardiovascular disease\nDependence on sleep medications or similar drugs\nHypertension\nMood-impacting disorders such as anxiety and depression\nType 2 diabetes\nDr. Holliday-Bell notes that no one test that reveals insomnia—it’s a clinical diagnosis made by your doctor. You also might do a sleep study where you’re hooked up to an EEG machine while you stay overnight in a clinic, so doctors can study your patterns and help figure out what’s happening.\nSome approaches to treating insomnia are more effective long term than others. Let’s look at the most popular options.\nCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)\nDr. Holliday-Bell says\nCBT\nis the “gold standard” for treating insomnia. “It’s a therapeutic process that focuses on the underlying cause of insomnia,” she says. “It’s unpacking and addressing the roots—the maladaptive thoughts surrounding sleep that ultimately lead to sleep anxiety. It addresses the cognitions and then the behaviors that have resulted in insomnia.”\nMedications\nSupplements\nlike melatonin and magnesium are options but you should always talk to your doctor before trying them and know that results are mixed on many of them. “It’s not uncommon for a doctor to give a prescription for a\nsleep aid\nshort-term, as someone starts to try behavioral therapy, but it’s with the ultimate goal of weaning off of sleep medications,” Dr. Khosla says.\nHabit Changes\nDr. Khosla says changing your habits may help, although even with a change in behavior, for some people, insomnia persists. For example, getting into bed at the same time each night and waking at the same time is good, as is adjusting your phone settings to\neliminate blue light-specific exposure\nafter sunset, nixing your afternoon coffee, or working out in the morning instead of at night. You also might try meditating before bed.\nStop Overthinking It\nSleep is having a major moment right now in the wellness tech space. You can buy blue-light shielding glasses. You can track your shuteye with your smart phone or myriad other devices. You can even order an actual bed to\ntuck your phone into\nto stop you from the blue light exposure.\nDr. Khosla thinks a lot of modern wellness tools are causing folks to overthink their sleep routines. “With all of these wearables, a lot of people have been a little bit more focused on sleep, which, in some ways, is great—except for when it becomes a problem,” she says. A hyper-focus on sleep, she notes, can ironically stoke the anxiety that keeps people awake.\nThe vast majority of people experience the occasional sleepless night, and as many as one in three adults have varying degrees of insomnia. Given how common it is, perhaps it’s no surprise that there are multiple effective strategies to combat it.\nIf you get prompt treatment and intervention, especially with shorter-term insomnia, the prognosis is quite good. As Dr. Khosla says, if insomnia is impacting your waking life, it’s worth reaching out and getting help. Feeling tired all day isn’t normal and retreating to bed for a nap isn’t necessary—you have more important things to do, and with the right interventions, you’ll be on your way.","attrs_markdown":"[HealthCentral Home](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/)\n\n- Communities\n  Back to main menu \\| Communities\n  \n  - [Alopecia](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/community\/alopecia)\n  - [Alzheimer’s Disease](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/community\/alzheimers-disease)\n  - [Asthma](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/community\/asthma)\n  - [Atrial Fibrillation](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/community\/atrial-fibrillation)\n  - [ATTR-CM](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/community\/transthyretin-cardiac-amyloidosis)\n  - [Axial Spondyloarthritis](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/community\/axial-spondyloarthritis)\n  - [Bipolar Disorder](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/community\/bipolar-disorder)\n  - [Breast Cancer](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/community\/breast-cancer)\n  - [Chronic Hives](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/community\/chronic-hives)\n  - 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But there are differences when it comes to the long-term effects on your health. “One night of bad sleep will not destroy your life,” says [Seema Khosla](https:\/\/www.chooseheartland.com\/physician-details.php?PID=884#gsc.tab=0), M.D., the medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo, ND. But insomnia, she cautions, can have very deleterious effects, causing headaches, mood changes, and even contributing to chronic health issues like diabetes.\n\nAbout 30% of adults have symptoms of insomnia, per the [American Academy of Sleep Medicine](https:\/\/aasm.org\/resources\/factsheets\/insomnia.pdf), so sleeping is consistently difficult for you, you’re not alone. Here, we asked experts like Dr. Khosla what to know about insomnia, when to talk to a doctor, and how to get the sleep you so desperately need.\n\nWhat It Is\n\n## What Is Insomnia?\n\nInsomnia is defined as either a short-term (acute) or longer-term (chronic) inability to get consistent sleep. Most adults need [seven to nine hours of shuteye](https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/healthy-lifestyle\/adult-health\/expert-answers\/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough\/faq-20057898) daily, though the right number for *you* can be highly individual. Insomnia is typically considered chronic when it happens at least [three nights per week for three months or longer](https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/insomnia\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20355167). However, Dr. Khosla notes that it’s worth talking to a doctor if your inability to get good sleep is consistently, negatively impacting your waking life, whether you meet an official definition or not.\n\nRather than clock-counting at night (which can hurt more than it helps) or relying on your smartwatch to track your sleep, she suggests people focus most of their energy on how they feel during the day. “Sometimes someone will come in who says they feel fine all day, but they’re concerned because their sleep tracker says they're only getting an hour of deep sleep,” she notes. Daytime impacts are the biggest telltale sign of an issue. Meanwhile, if you always feel tired and moody, and have a hard time waking up, Dr. Khosla says it’s worth talking to someone, even if your smartwatch says you’re getting a perfect eight hours each night.\n\nTypes\n\n## Types of Insomnia\n\nThe International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 3rd edition (ICSD-III) now classifies most cases of insomnia into two main categories, per [StatPearls](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK554516\/):\n\n- **Short-term insomnia.** Insomnia that lasts under three months (also sometimes called *transient* or *acute insomnia*) fall into this category.\n- **Chronic insomnia.** Insomnia that lasts for three nights per week for at least three months is considered chronic.\n\nDoctors used to categorize insomnia by its cause, [the National Library of Medicine](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK554516\/) notes. It was usually divided into two categories:\n\n- **Primary insomnia.** This type of insomnia is not linked to medications, a health condition, or a specific problem.\n- **Secondary insomnia.** This refers to having trouble sleeping as a secondary issue to another health condition or issue (such as pain, restless leg syndrome, [sleep apnea](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/category\/sleep-apnea), asthma, depression, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, or heartburn, a medication, or substance used).\n\nMeanwhile, Dr. Khosla also breaks down chronic insomnia for her patients by *how* and *when* it impacts their sleep:\n\n- **Sleep-onset insomnia:** Trouble with falling asleep.\n- **Sleep-maintenance insomnia:** Problems staying asleep, a.k.a. waking up for long period in the night.\n- **Mixed insomnia:** Having issues with both falling asleep and staying asleep.\n\nIt can be hard to define what it means to have “trouble” falling asleep, as the amount of time that constitutes “trouble” can feel arbitrary, says [Angela Holliday-Bell](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thesleep_md\/?hl=en), M.D. a board-certified physician and certified sleep specialist in Chicago. But she says a good rule of thumb is that it should take less than 20 minutes to fall asleep. Since you’re likely not aware of exactly how long it took you to drift off, how you feel during your waking hours may be the ultimate judge.\n\nIt’s entirely possible to *believe* you haven’t slept when you actually have. This is known as [paradoxical insomnia](https:\/\/www.sleepfoundation.org\/insomnia\/paradoxical-insomnia), which falls under [chronic insomnia](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK554516\/) but usually indicates poor quality sleep rather than wakefulness. People with paradoxical insomnia feel like they’re awake when they’re asleep, so they underestimate how many hours they slept and can feel like they’ve hardly slept despite logging a standard night’s sleep, according to [The Sleep Foundation](https:\/\/www.sleepfoundation.org\/insomnia\/paradoxical-insomnia). “Sometimes there is a sensation of *I'm awake*,” Dr. Khosla explains. “You’ll tell your spouse you got 15 minutes of sleep, but they say you were snoring the second your head hit the pillow. There’s a disconnect between their subjective experience versus the objective experience and a lot of the time, it’s because they’re getting super light sleep, so the brain doesn’t feel like it’s asleep.” This can also be due to [sleep apnea](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/slideshow\/connection-between-copd-sleep-apnea-and-heart-disease), Dr. Khosla cautions, so it’s important to seek help if this happens to you regularly.\n\nSymptoms\n\n## Symptoms of Insomnia\n\nUnsurprising to anyone who’s ever slept badly, insomnia can make you feel wretched. Per [Mayo Clinic](https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/insomnia\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20355167), symptoms include:\n\n- Brain fog\n- Fatigue or low energy\n- Feeling cranky, depressed or anxious\n- Feeling exhausted during the day\n- Having a hard time falling asleep (obviously)\n- Having a hard time focusing\n- Making more mistakes\n- Memory problems\n- Ongoing worries about sleep\n- Waking up during the night\n- Waking up too early\n\nAs someone who’s experienced insomnia herself, Dr. Holliday-Bell is empathetic toward those who are struggling with it. “Insomnia can include waking up with headaches, experiencing a lack of motivation, falling asleep when you’re not meaning to, feeling the need to nap, and craving multiple cups of coffee,” she adds.\n\nDaytime Effects\n\n## Daytime Effects of Insomnia\n\nHow you sleep (or don’t) at night massively affects how you function during the day, explains Dr. Khosla. Some daytime impacts of insomnia include:\n\n- Decreased functioning or productivity in an academic or work setting\n- Difficulty with concentrating, brain fog, or impaired attention or memory\n- Impacts on interpersonal or social interactions\n- Susceptibility to errors and accidents\n\nCauses\n\n## Causes of Insomnia\n\nGetting to the root cause of an ongoing sleep issue can be the first step in scoring a better night’s rest. Researchers have identified the most common triggers.\n\n### Genetics\n[Research has shown](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5187578\/) that genetics play a major role in ongoing sleeplessness. “If both your parents have \\[experienced\\] insomnia, there’s a good chance you’ll have it \\[at some point\\],” Dr. Holliday-Bell notes. “Though there’s a higher tendency towards females having it than males.”\n\nHowever, even if family history makes you prone to insomnia, it often takes a combination of factors—including lifestyle habits—to trigger it. “Things like stress or drinking lots of coffee to stay up and work will throw you over the threshold that's already lower just because of your genetics,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says.\n\n### Brain Activity Differences\nResearch in the last decade out of Johns Hopkins University of Medicine found that differences in brain functioning may also play a role in chronic insomnia. A [study in](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3920319\/) [*Sleep*](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3920319\/) found that the motor cortex in the brain of those with chronic insomnia tended to be more adaptable to change, while the neurons in that region were more “excitable.” This furthered research that showed that those who have insomnia may be processing information more constantly, which may interfere with sleep. “Insomnia is not a nighttime disorder. It’s a 24-hour brain condition, like a light switch that is always on,” according to [study co-author Rachel E. Salas, M.D](https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/news\/media\/releases\/researchers_identify_brain_differences_linked_to_insomnia)[.](https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/news\/media\/releases\/researchers_identify_brain_differences_linked_to_insomnia)\n\n### Medical Conditions\nBeyond sleep apnea, many other [medical conditions can interfere with sleep](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/experience\/chronic-persons-guide-to-better-sleep). For example, “[chronic pain](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/pain-management\/chronic-pain-explained) is so hard because it may cause arousal that keeps waking you up,” Dr. Khosla says. Conditions that can steal your sleep include:\n\n- Acid reflux\n- Alzheimer’s\n- Asthma\n- Cancer\n- Diabetes\n- GERD\n- Overactive thyroid\n- Parkinson’s\n\n“Historically, sleep is something that has been relegated to its own little corner in the outpatient world. We haven't fully grasped this idea that sleep trickles into everything,” Dr. Khosla says, adding that trouble with any organ system can have an impact on your sleep.\n\n### Medications or Substances\nIn addition to everyday culprits like alcohol and caffeine, the medications you take can impact your sleep, causing insomnia, Dr. Khosla explains. “If you have [COPD](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/copd) or [asthma](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/asthma), medications we use to treat those disorders can lead you to stay awake,” she says. “When we use beta blockers for [heart failure](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/heart-failure) or [atrial fibrillation](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/atrial-fibrillation), those can cause nightmares that impact sleep.” Similarly, antidepressants, some pain, allergy or cold medications, and weight-loss drugs can disrupt sleep, per [Mayo Clinic](https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/insomnia\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20355167).\n\n### Mental Health Conditions\n[Anxiety](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/anxiety) and [depression](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/depression) can be both symptoms *and* causes of insomnia. “There’s that ‘chicken vs. the egg’ relationship there,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says, noting that, in some people with both insomnia and anxiety, it can be hard to tell which came first. Similarly, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders can also impact sleep negatively. About 40% of adults with insomnia also had a diagnosable mental health disorder, most often depression, an article in [*The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine*](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC1978319\/#:~:text=Various%20risk%20factors%20associated%20with,psychiatric%20disorder%E2%80%94most%20notably%20depression.) notes. If you’re struggling with your [mental health and it’s impacting your sleep](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/article\/how-lack-of-consistent-sleep-affects-mental-health), talk to your doctor.\n\n### Life Circumstances and Habits\nThe circumstances and stressors in your life are going to play a major role in your insomnia Dr. Khosla says. For instance, if you have a super important project coming up at work or school, you might experience short-term insomnia. Likewise, if you have a new baby in the house, or you’ve recently moved, or you’ve changed time zones, these can all lead to sleeplessness, typically short-term.\n\nMeanwhile, your daily habits also have an impact, Dr. Khosla adds. If you’re scrolling on TikTok, basking in blue light before bed, it might negatively impact your sleep. If you’re super inconsistent on what time you hit the hay, you might also have more issues with insomnia.\n\nRisk Factors\n\n## Risk Factors for Insomnia\n\nSeveral risk factors predispose you to chronic insomnia, per [*The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine*](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC1978319\/#:~:text=Various%20risk%20factors%20associated%20with,psychiatric%20disorder%E2%80%94most%20notably%20depression.)*,* including:\n\n- Age (older folks are more prone)\n- Gender (women are more likely to have insomnia)\n- Having comorbid medical or mental health conditions\n\nComplications\n\n## Complications of Insomnia\n\n“The biggest danger of insomnia is an acute complication—say, falling asleep at the wheel,” says Dr. Holliday-Bell. “A lot of traffic accidents are due to drowsy driving or falling asleep while driving. If you operate heavy machinery at work, you're more prone to accidents if you have insomnia.”\n\nBut insomnia can also jeopardize your health over the long haul. “Chronic insomnia increases your risk of significant longer-term conditions like [cardiovascular disease](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/heart-disease), [high blood pressure](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/hypertension), [stroke](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/stroke), and [diabetes](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/diabetes),” Dr. Holliday-Bell adds.\n\n[The National Library of Medicine](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK554516\/) notes that complications of insomnia can include:\n\n- Cardiovascular disease\n- Dependence on sleep medications or similar drugs\n- Hypertension\n- Mood-impacting disorders such as anxiety and depression\n- Type 2 diabetes\n\nDiagnosis\n\n## How Is Insomnia Diagnosed?\n\nDr. Holliday-Bell notes that no one test that reveals insomnia—it’s a clinical diagnosis made by your doctor. You also might do a sleep study where you’re hooked up to an EEG machine while you stay overnight in a clinic, so doctors can study your patterns and help figure out what’s happening.\n\nTreating and Preventing\n\n## Treatment and Prevention of Insomnia\n\nSome approaches to treating insomnia are more effective long term than others. Let’s look at the most popular options.\n\n### Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)\nDr. Holliday-Bell says [CBT](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/article\/5-reasons-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-may-not-work-for-you) is the “gold standard” for treating insomnia. “It’s a therapeutic process that focuses on the underlying cause of insomnia,” she says. “It’s unpacking and addressing the roots—the maladaptive thoughts surrounding sleep that ultimately lead to sleep anxiety. It addresses the cognitions and then the behaviors that have resulted in insomnia.”\n\n### Medications\n[Supplements](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/best-sleep-aids) like melatonin and magnesium are options but you should always talk to your doctor before trying them and know that results are mixed on many of them. “It’s not uncommon for a doctor to give a prescription for a [sleep aid](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/best-sleep-aids) short-term, as someone starts to try behavioral therapy, but it’s with the ultimate goal of weaning off of sleep medications,” Dr. Khosla says.\n\n### Habit Changes\nDr. Khosla says changing your habits may help, although even with a change in behavior, for some people, insomnia persists. For example, getting into bed at the same time each night and waking at the same time is good, as is adjusting your phone settings to [eliminate blue light-specific exposure](https:\/\/9to5mac.com\/2023\/02\/06\/block-blue-light-iphone-better-sleep\/) after sunset, nixing your afternoon coffee, or working out in the morning instead of at night. You also might try meditating before bed.\n\n### Stop Overthinking It\nSleep is having a major moment right now in the wellness tech space. You can buy blue-light shielding glasses. You can track your shuteye with your smart phone or myriad other devices. You can even order an actual bed to [tuck your phone into](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Arianna-Huffingtons-Phone-Charging-Station\/dp\/B079C5DBF4?th=1) to stop you from the blue light exposure.\n\nDr. Khosla thinks a lot of modern wellness tools are causing folks to overthink their sleep routines. “With all of these wearables, a lot of people have been a little bit more focused on sleep, which, in some ways, is great—except for when it becomes a problem,” she says. A hyper-focus on sleep, she notes, can ironically stoke the anxiety that keeps people awake.\n\nOutlook\n\n## Outlook\n\nThe vast majority of people experience the occasional sleepless night, and as many as one in three adults have varying degrees of insomnia. Given how common it is, perhaps it’s no surprise that there are multiple effective strategies to combat it.\n\nIf you get prompt treatment and intervention, especially with shorter-term insomnia, the prognosis is quite good. As Dr. Khosla says, if insomnia is impacting your waking life, it’s worth reaching out and getting help. Feeling tired all day isn’t normal and retreating to bed for a nap isn’t necessary—you have more important things to do, and with the right interventions, you’ll be on your way.\n\nThis article was originally published January 26, 2024 and most recently updated February 20, 2024.\n\n© 2026 HealthCentral LLC. All rights reserved.\n\nSources\n\n**Insomnia prevalence:** American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2008.) \"Insomnia.\" <https:\/\/aasm.org\/resources\/factsheets\/insomnia.pdf>\n\n**Insomnia symptoms and causes:** Mayo Clinic. (2024.) \"Insomnia.\"<https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/insomnia\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20355167>\n\n**Hours of sleep needed** : Mayo Clinic. (2023.) \"How many hours of sleep are enough for good health?\" <https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/healthy-lifestyle\/adult-health\/expert-answers\/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough\/faq-20057898>\n\n**Paradoxical Insomnia:** Sleep Foundation. (2024.) \"Paradoxical Insomnia: The Misperception of Your Sleep State.\" <https:\/\/www.sleepfoundation.org\/insomnia\/paradoxical-insomnia>\n\n**Insomnia symptoms and types** : *StatPearls*. (2023.) \"Short-Term Insomnia.\" <https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK554516\/>\n\n**Treatments:** *Neurotherapeutics*. (2012.) \"Non-Pharmacological Treatment of Insomnia.\" <https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3480569\/>\n\n**Daytime effects:** *Brain Sciences.* (2021.) \"How Sleep Affects Daytime Functioning: The Latest Insights from Different Patient and Age Groups.\" [https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8465067\/\\#:~:text=Sleep%20problems%20can%20have%20a,anxiety%20and%20depression%20%5B2%5D](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8465067\/#:~:text=Sleep%20problems%20can%20have%20a,anxiety%20and%20depression%20%5B2%5D).\n\n**Genetics and insomnia:** *Brain Sciences.* (2016.) \"Genetic Pathways to Insomnia.\" <https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5187578\/>\n\n**Brain differences and insomnia \\[1\\]:** Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2014.) \"Researchers Identify Brain Differences Linked to Insomnia.\" <https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/news\/media\/releases\/researchers_identify_brain_differences_linked_to_insomnia>\n\n**Brain differences and insomnia \\[2\\]:***Sleep.* (2014.) \"Increased Use-Dependent Plasticity in Chronic Insomnia.\" <https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3920319\/>\n\n**Insomnia's consequences:** [*The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine*](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC1978319\/#:~:text=Various%20risk%20factors%20associated%20with,psychiatric%20disorder%E2%80%94most%20notably%20depression.). 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She has written feature articles for outlets such as *Refinery29*, *Vice*, *Texas Monthly*, and more.\n\n[Deepa Burman, M.D., Co-director of the Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Program:](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/contributor\/deepa-burman)\n\nDeepa Burman, M.D., is the co-director of the Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Program at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She has a broad range of experience in managing full spectrum sleep disorders in adults and pediatric patients.\n\n![](data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=)\n\n#### More Like This\n[Sleep Disorders Which Type of Magnesium Is Best for Sleep? 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All rights reserved. Our website content is for educational purposes only. HealthCentral LLC does not provide personal medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. [Read our Disclaimer](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/disclaimer)\n\nAsk HealthCentral","attrs_readable_markdown":"- [Sleep Disorders](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/category\/sleep-disorders)\n  - [Insomnia](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia)\n\nMedically Reviewed\n\n## Insomnia or a Bad Night’s Sleep?\nOccasional tossing and turning is one thing—but if you’re experiencing regular sleep disruptions at night and trouble functioning during the day, it could be a medical condition.\n\nBy\n\n![A woman sits up in bed at night](https:\/\/images.ctfassets.net\/yixw23k2v6vo\/2pUEGPRjaup6uEjzWdKm7q\/5f1fdbc15689a98585b9a237ea9c9aae\/woman-having-insomnia-GettyImages-1726094956-3000x2000.jpg?fm=avif&fit=thumb&q=65&w=492&h=328)\n\n###### Jump To\n- [What It Is](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia#what-it-is)\n- [Types](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia#types)\n- [Symptoms](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia#symptoms)\n- [Daytime Effects](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia#daytime-effects)\n- [Causes](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia#causes)\n- [Risk Factors](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia#risk-factors)\n- [Complications](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia#complications)\n- [Diagnosis](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia#diagnosis)\n- [Treating and Preventing](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia#treating-and-preventing)\n- [Outlook](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/insomnia#outlook)\n\nYou might toss around the term insomnia after hours of desperately staring at the ceiling but there’s a difference between a single sleepless night and a string of them (or even many months of them!) that typifies this sleep condition.\n\nFor sure, whether your [restless nights](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/tossing-and-turning-at-night) are frequent or few and far between, it feels incredibly stressful when it happens. But there are differences when it comes to the long-term effects on your health. “One night of bad sleep will not destroy your life,” says [Seema Khosla](https:\/\/www.chooseheartland.com\/physician-details.php?PID=884#gsc.tab=0), M.D., the medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo, ND. But insomnia, she cautions, can have very deleterious effects, causing headaches, mood changes, and even contributing to chronic health issues like diabetes.\n\nAbout 30% of adults have symptoms of insomnia, per the [American Academy of Sleep Medicine](https:\/\/aasm.org\/resources\/factsheets\/insomnia.pdf), so sleeping is consistently difficult for you, you’re not alone. Here, we asked experts like Dr. Khosla what to know about insomnia, when to talk to a doctor, and how to get the sleep you so desperately need.\n\nInsomnia is defined as either a short-term (acute) or longer-term (chronic) inability to get consistent sleep. Most adults need [seven to nine hours of shuteye](https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/healthy-lifestyle\/adult-health\/expert-answers\/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough\/faq-20057898) daily, though the right number for *you* can be highly individual. Insomnia is typically considered chronic when it happens at least [three nights per week for three months or longer](https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/insomnia\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20355167). However, Dr. Khosla notes that it’s worth talking to a doctor if your inability to get good sleep is consistently, negatively impacting your waking life, whether you meet an official definition or not.\n\nRather than clock-counting at night (which can hurt more than it helps) or relying on your smartwatch to track your sleep, she suggests people focus most of their energy on how they feel during the day. “Sometimes someone will come in who says they feel fine all day, but they’re concerned because their sleep tracker says they're only getting an hour of deep sleep,” she notes. Daytime impacts are the biggest telltale sign of an issue. Meanwhile, if you always feel tired and moody, and have a hard time waking up, Dr. Khosla says it’s worth talking to someone, even if your smartwatch says you’re getting a perfect eight hours each night.\n\nThe International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 3rd edition (ICSD-III) now classifies most cases of insomnia into two main categories, per [StatPearls](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK554516\/):\n\n- **Short-term insomnia.** Insomnia that lasts under three months (also sometimes called *transient* or *acute insomnia*) fall into this category.\n- **Chronic insomnia.** Insomnia that lasts for three nights per week for at least three months is considered chronic.\n\nDoctors used to categorize insomnia by its cause, [the National Library of Medicine](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK554516\/) notes. It was usually divided into two categories:\n\n- **Primary insomnia.** This type of insomnia is not linked to medications, a health condition, or a specific problem.\n- **Secondary insomnia.** This refers to having trouble sleeping as a secondary issue to another health condition or issue (such as pain, restless leg syndrome, [sleep apnea](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/category\/sleep-apnea), asthma, depression, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, or heartburn, a medication, or substance used).\n\nMeanwhile, Dr. Khosla also breaks down chronic insomnia for her patients by *how* and *when* it impacts their sleep:\n\n- **Sleep-onset insomnia:** Trouble with falling asleep.\n- **Sleep-maintenance insomnia:** Problems staying asleep, a.k.a. waking up for long period in the night.\n- **Mixed insomnia:** Having issues with both falling asleep and staying asleep.\n\nIt can be hard to define what it means to have “trouble” falling asleep, as the amount of time that constitutes “trouble” can feel arbitrary, says [Angela Holliday-Bell](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thesleep_md\/?hl=en), M.D. a board-certified physician and certified sleep specialist in Chicago. But she says a good rule of thumb is that it should take less than 20 minutes to fall asleep. Since you’re likely not aware of exactly how long it took you to drift off, how you feel during your waking hours may be the ultimate judge.\n\nIt’s entirely possible to *believe* you haven’t slept when you actually have. This is known as [paradoxical insomnia](https:\/\/www.sleepfoundation.org\/insomnia\/paradoxical-insomnia), which falls under [chronic insomnia](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK554516\/) but usually indicates poor quality sleep rather than wakefulness. People with paradoxical insomnia feel like they’re awake when they’re asleep, so they underestimate how many hours they slept and can feel like they’ve hardly slept despite logging a standard night’s sleep, according to [The Sleep Foundation](https:\/\/www.sleepfoundation.org\/insomnia\/paradoxical-insomnia). “Sometimes there is a sensation of *I'm awake*,” Dr. Khosla explains. “You’ll tell your spouse you got 15 minutes of sleep, but they say you were snoring the second your head hit the pillow. There’s a disconnect between their subjective experience versus the objective experience and a lot of the time, it’s because they’re getting super light sleep, so the brain doesn’t feel like it’s asleep.” This can also be due to [sleep apnea](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/slideshow\/connection-between-copd-sleep-apnea-and-heart-disease), Dr. Khosla cautions, so it’s important to seek help if this happens to you regularly.\n\nUnsurprising to anyone who’s ever slept badly, insomnia can make you feel wretched. Per [Mayo Clinic](https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/insomnia\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20355167), symptoms include:\n\n- Brain fog\n- Fatigue or low energy\n- Feeling cranky, depressed or anxious\n- Feeling exhausted during the day\n- Having a hard time falling asleep (obviously)\n- Having a hard time focusing\n- Making more mistakes\n- Memory problems\n- Ongoing worries about sleep\n- Waking up during the night\n- Waking up too early\n\nAs someone who’s experienced insomnia herself, Dr. Holliday-Bell is empathetic toward those who are struggling with it. “Insomnia can include waking up with headaches, experiencing a lack of motivation, falling asleep when you’re not meaning to, feeling the need to nap, and craving multiple cups of coffee,” she adds.\n\nHow you sleep (or don’t) at night massively affects how you function during the day, explains Dr. Khosla. Some daytime impacts of insomnia include:\n\n- Decreased functioning or productivity in an academic or work setting\n- Difficulty with concentrating, brain fog, or impaired attention or memory\n- Impacts on interpersonal or social interactions\n- Susceptibility to errors and accidents\n\nGetting to the root cause of an ongoing sleep issue can be the first step in scoring a better night’s rest. Researchers have identified the most common triggers.\n\n### Genetics\n[Research has shown](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5187578\/) that genetics play a major role in ongoing sleeplessness. “If both your parents have \\[experienced\\] insomnia, there’s a good chance you’ll have it \\[at some point\\],” Dr. Holliday-Bell notes. “Though there’s a higher tendency towards females having it than males.”\n\nHowever, even if family history makes you prone to insomnia, it often takes a combination of factors—including lifestyle habits—to trigger it. “Things like stress or drinking lots of coffee to stay up and work will throw you over the threshold that's already lower just because of your genetics,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says.\n\n### Brain Activity Differences\nResearch in the last decade out of Johns Hopkins University of Medicine found that differences in brain functioning may also play a role in chronic insomnia. A [study in](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3920319\/) [*Sleep*](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3920319\/) found that the motor cortex in the brain of those with chronic insomnia tended to be more adaptable to change, while the neurons in that region were more “excitable.” This furthered research that showed that those who have insomnia may be processing information more constantly, which may interfere with sleep. “Insomnia is not a nighttime disorder. It’s a 24-hour brain condition, like a light switch that is always on,” according to [study co-author Rachel E. Salas, M.D](https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/news\/media\/releases\/researchers_identify_brain_differences_linked_to_insomnia)[.](https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/news\/media\/releases\/researchers_identify_brain_differences_linked_to_insomnia)\n\n### Medical Conditions\nBeyond sleep apnea, many other [medical conditions can interfere with sleep](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/experience\/chronic-persons-guide-to-better-sleep). For example, “[chronic pain](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/pain-management\/chronic-pain-explained) is so hard because it may cause arousal that keeps waking you up,” Dr. Khosla says. Conditions that can steal your sleep include:\n\n- Acid reflux\n- Alzheimer’s\n- Asthma\n- Cancer\n- Diabetes\n- GERD\n- Overactive thyroid\n- Parkinson’s\n\n“Historically, sleep is something that has been relegated to its own little corner in the outpatient world. We haven't fully grasped this idea that sleep trickles into everything,” Dr. Khosla says, adding that trouble with any organ system can have an impact on your sleep.\n\n### Medications or Substances\nIn addition to everyday culprits like alcohol and caffeine, the medications you take can impact your sleep, causing insomnia, Dr. Khosla explains. “If you have [COPD](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/copd) or [asthma](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/asthma), medications we use to treat those disorders can lead you to stay awake,” she says. “When we use beta blockers for [heart failure](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/heart-failure) or [atrial fibrillation](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/atrial-fibrillation), those can cause nightmares that impact sleep.” Similarly, antidepressants, some pain, allergy or cold medications, and weight-loss drugs can disrupt sleep, per [Mayo Clinic](https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/insomnia\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20355167).\n\n### Mental Health Conditions\n[Anxiety](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/anxiety) and [depression](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/depression) can be both symptoms *and* causes of insomnia. “There’s that ‘chicken vs. the egg’ relationship there,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says, noting that, in some people with both insomnia and anxiety, it can be hard to tell which came first. Similarly, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders can also impact sleep negatively. About 40% of adults with insomnia also had a diagnosable mental health disorder, most often depression, an article in [*The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine*](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC1978319\/#:~:text=Various%20risk%20factors%20associated%20with,psychiatric%20disorder%E2%80%94most%20notably%20depression.) notes. If you’re struggling with your [mental health and it’s impacting your sleep](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/article\/how-lack-of-consistent-sleep-affects-mental-health), talk to your doctor.\n\n### Life Circumstances and Habits\nThe circumstances and stressors in your life are going to play a major role in your insomnia Dr. Khosla says. For instance, if you have a super important project coming up at work or school, you might experience short-term insomnia. Likewise, if you have a new baby in the house, or you’ve recently moved, or you’ve changed time zones, these can all lead to sleeplessness, typically short-term.\n\nMeanwhile, your daily habits also have an impact, Dr. Khosla adds. If you’re scrolling on TikTok, basking in blue light before bed, it might negatively impact your sleep. If you’re super inconsistent on what time you hit the hay, you might also have more issues with insomnia.\n\nSeveral risk factors predispose you to chronic insomnia, per [*The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine*](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC1978319\/#:~:text=Various%20risk%20factors%20associated%20with,psychiatric%20disorder%E2%80%94most%20notably%20depression.)*,* including:\n\n- Age (older folks are more prone)\n- Gender (women are more likely to have insomnia)\n- Having comorbid medical or mental health conditions\n\n“The biggest danger of insomnia is an acute complication—say, falling asleep at the wheel,” says Dr. Holliday-Bell. “A lot of traffic accidents are due to drowsy driving or falling asleep while driving. If you operate heavy machinery at work, you're more prone to accidents if you have insomnia.”\n\nBut insomnia can also jeopardize your health over the long haul. “Chronic insomnia increases your risk of significant longer-term conditions like [cardiovascular disease](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/heart-disease), [high blood pressure](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/hypertension), [stroke](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/stroke), and [diabetes](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/condition\/diabetes),” Dr. Holliday-Bell adds.\n\n[The National Library of Medicine](https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK554516\/) notes that complications of insomnia can include:\n\n- Cardiovascular disease\n- Dependence on sleep medications or similar drugs\n- Hypertension\n- Mood-impacting disorders such as anxiety and depression\n- Type 2 diabetes\n\nDr. Holliday-Bell notes that no one test that reveals insomnia—it’s a clinical diagnosis made by your doctor. You also might do a sleep study where you’re hooked up to an EEG machine while you stay overnight in a clinic, so doctors can study your patterns and help figure out what’s happening.\n\nSome approaches to treating insomnia are more effective long term than others. Let’s look at the most popular options.\n\n### Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)\nDr. Holliday-Bell says [CBT](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/article\/5-reasons-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-may-not-work-for-you) is the “gold standard” for treating insomnia. “It’s a therapeutic process that focuses on the underlying cause of insomnia,” she says. “It’s unpacking and addressing the roots—the maladaptive thoughts surrounding sleep that ultimately lead to sleep anxiety. It addresses the cognitions and then the behaviors that have resulted in insomnia.”\n\n### Medications\n[Supplements](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/best-sleep-aids) like melatonin and magnesium are options but you should always talk to your doctor before trying them and know that results are mixed on many of them. “It’s not uncommon for a doctor to give a prescription for a [sleep aid](https:\/\/www.healthcentral.com\/sleep\/best-sleep-aids) short-term, as someone starts to try behavioral therapy, but it’s with the ultimate goal of weaning off of sleep medications,” Dr. Khosla says.\n\n### Habit Changes\nDr. Khosla says changing your habits may help, although even with a change in behavior, for some people, insomnia persists. For example, getting into bed at the same time each night and waking at the same time is good, as is adjusting your phone settings to [eliminate blue light-specific exposure](https:\/\/9to5mac.com\/2023\/02\/06\/block-blue-light-iphone-better-sleep\/) after sunset, nixing your afternoon coffee, or working out in the morning instead of at night. You also might try meditating before bed.\n\n### Stop Overthinking It\nSleep is having a major moment right now in the wellness tech space. You can buy blue-light shielding glasses. You can track your shuteye with your smart phone or myriad other devices. You can even order an actual bed to [tuck your phone into](https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Arianna-Huffingtons-Phone-Charging-Station\/dp\/B079C5DBF4?th=1) to stop you from the blue light exposure.\n\nDr. Khosla thinks a lot of modern wellness tools are causing folks to overthink their sleep routines. “With all of these wearables, a lot of people have been a little bit more focused on sleep, which, in some ways, is great—except for when it becomes a problem,” she says. A hyper-focus on sleep, she notes, can ironically stoke the anxiety that keeps people awake.\n\nThe vast majority of people experience the occasional sleepless night, and as many as one in three adults have varying degrees of insomnia. Given how common it is, perhaps it’s no surprise that there are multiple effective strategies to combat it.\n\nIf you get prompt treatment and intervention, especially with shorter-term insomnia, the prognosis is quite good. As Dr. Khosla says, if insomnia is impacting your waking life, it’s worth reaching out and getting help. Feeling tired all day isn’t normal and retreating to bed for a nap isn’t necessary—you have more important things to do, and with the right interventions, you’ll be on your way.\n\n![](data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=)","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	Sleep Disorders Insomnia Medically Reviewed Insomnia or a Bad Night’s Sleep? Occasional tossing and turning is one thing—but if you’re experiencing regular sleep disruptions at night and trouble functioning during the day, it could be a medical condition. By Jump To What It Is Types Symptoms Daytime Effects Causes Risk Factors Complications Diagnosis Treating and Preventing Outlook You might toss around the term insomnia after hours of desperately staring at the ceiling but there’s a difference between a single sleepless night and a string of them (or even many months of them!) that typifies this sleep condition. For sure, whether your restless nights are frequent or few and far between, it feels incredibly stressful when it happens. But there are differences when it comes to the long-term effects on your health. “One night of bad sleep will not destroy your life,” says Seema Khosla , M.D., the medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo, ND. But insomnia, she cautions, can have very deleterious effects, causing headaches, mood changes, and even contributing to chronic health issues like diabetes. About 30% of adults have symptoms of insomnia, per the American Academy of Sleep Medicine , so sleeping is consistently difficult for you, you’re not alone. Here, we asked experts like Dr. Khosla what to know about insomnia, when to talk to a doctor, and how to get the sleep you so desperately need. Insomnia is defined as either a short-term (acute) or longer-term (chronic) inability to get consistent sleep. Most adults need seven to nine hours of shuteye daily, though the right number for you can be highly individual. Insomnia is typically considered chronic when it happens at least three nights per week for three months or longer . However, Dr. Khosla notes that it’s worth talking to a doctor if your inability to get good sleep is consistently, negatively impacting your waking life, whether you meet an official definition or not. Rather than clock-counting at night (which can hurt more than it helps) or relying on your smartwatch to track your sleep, she suggests people focus most of their energy on how they feel during the day. “Sometimes someone will come in who says they feel fine all day, but they’re concerned because their sleep tracker says they're only getting an hour of deep sleep,” she notes. Daytime impacts are the biggest telltale sign of an issue. Meanwhile, if you always feel tired and moody, and have a hard time waking up, Dr. Khosla says it’s worth talking to someone, even if your smartwatch says you’re getting a perfect eight hours each night. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 3rd edition (ICSD-III) now classifies most cases of insomnia into two main categories, per StatPearls : Short-term insomnia. Insomnia that lasts under three months (also sometimes called transient or acute insomnia ) fall into this category. Chronic insomnia. Insomnia that lasts for three nights per week for at least three months is considered chronic. Doctors used to categorize insomnia by its cause, the National Library of Medicine notes. It was usually divided into two categories: Primary insomnia. This type of insomnia is not linked to medications, a health condition, or a specific problem. Secondary insomnia. This refers to having trouble sleeping as a secondary issue to another health condition or issue (such as pain, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea , asthma, depression, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, or heartburn, a medication, or substance used). Meanwhile, Dr. Khosla also breaks down chronic insomnia for her patients by how and when it impacts their sleep: Sleep-onset insomnia: Trouble with falling asleep. Sleep-maintenance insomnia: Problems staying asleep, a.k.a. waking up for long period in the night. Mixed insomnia: Having issues with both falling asleep and staying asleep. It can be hard to define what it means to have “trouble” falling asleep, as the amount of time that constitutes “trouble” can feel arbitrary, says Angela Holliday-Bell , M.D. a board-certified physician and certified sleep specialist in Chicago. But she says a good rule of thumb is that it should take less than 20 minutes to fall asleep. Since you’re likely not aware of exactly how long it took you to drift off, how you feel during your waking hours may be the ultimate judge. It’s entirely possible to believe you haven’t slept when you actually have. This is known as paradoxical insomnia , which falls under chronic insomnia but usually indicates poor quality sleep rather than wakefulness. People with paradoxical insomnia feel like they’re awake when they’re asleep, so they underestimate how many hours they slept and can feel like they’ve hardly slept despite logging a standard night’s sleep, according to The Sleep Foundation . “Sometimes there is a sensation of I'm awake ,” Dr. Khosla explains. “You’ll tell your spouse you got 15 minutes of sleep, but they say you were snoring the second your head hit the pillow. There’s a disconnect between their subjective experience versus the objective experience and a lot of the time, it’s because they’re getting super light sleep, so the brain doesn’t feel like it’s asleep.” This can also be due to sleep apnea , Dr. Khosla cautions, so it’s important to seek help if this happens to you regularly. Unsurprising to anyone who’s ever slept badly, insomnia can make you feel wretched. Per Mayo Clinic , symptoms include: Brain fog Fatigue or low energy Feeling cranky, depressed or anxious Feeling exhausted during the day Having a hard time falling asleep (obviously) Having a hard time focusing Making more mistakes Memory problems Ongoing worries about sleep Waking up during the night Waking up too early As someone who’s experienced insomnia herself, Dr. Holliday-Bell is empathetic toward those who are struggling with it. “Insomnia can include waking up with headaches, experiencing a lack of motivation, falling asleep when you’re not meaning to, feeling the need to nap, and craving multiple cups of coffee,” she adds. How you sleep (or don’t) at night massively affects how you function during the day, explains Dr. Khosla. Some daytime impacts of insomnia include: Decreased functioning or productivity in an academic or work setting Difficulty with concentrating, brain fog, or impaired attention or memory Impacts on interpersonal or social interactions Susceptibility to errors and accidents Getting to the root cause of an ongoing sleep issue can be the first step in scoring a better night’s rest. Researchers have identified the most common triggers. Genetics Research has shown that genetics play a major role in ongoing sleeplessness. “If both your parents have [experienced] insomnia, there’s a good chance you’ll have it [at some point],” Dr. Holliday-Bell notes. “Though there’s a higher tendency towards females having it than males.” However, even if family history makes you prone to insomnia, it often takes a combination of factors—including lifestyle habits—to trigger it. “Things like stress or drinking lots of coffee to stay up and work will throw you over the threshold that's already lower just because of your genetics,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says. Brain Activity Differences Research in the last decade out of Johns Hopkins University of Medicine found that differences in brain functioning may also play a role in chronic insomnia. A study in Sleep found that the motor cortex in the brain of those with chronic insomnia tended to be more adaptable to change, while the neurons in that region were more “excitable.” This furthered research that showed that those who have insomnia may be processing information more constantly, which may interfere with sleep. “Insomnia is not a nighttime disorder. It’s a 24-hour brain condition, like a light switch that is always on,” according to study co-author Rachel E. Salas, M.D . Medical Conditions Beyond sleep apnea, many other medical conditions can interfere with sleep . For example, “ chronic pain is so hard because it may cause arousal that keeps waking you up,” Dr. Khosla says. Conditions that can steal your sleep include: Acid reflux Alzheimer’s Asthma Cancer Diabetes GERD Overactive thyroid Parkinson’s “Historically, sleep is something that has been relegated to its own little corner in the outpatient world. We haven't fully grasped this idea that sleep trickles into everything,” Dr. Khosla says, adding that trouble with any organ system can have an impact on your sleep. Medications or Substances In addition to everyday culprits like alcohol and caffeine, the medications you take can impact your sleep, causing insomnia, Dr. Khosla explains. “If you have COPD or asthma , medications we use to treat those disorders can lead you to stay awake,” she says. “When we use beta blockers for heart failure or atrial fibrillation , those can cause nightmares that impact sleep.” Similarly, antidepressants, some pain, allergy or cold medications, and weight-loss drugs can disrupt sleep, per Mayo Clinic . Mental Health Conditions Anxiety and depression can be both symptoms and causes of insomnia. “There’s that ‘chicken vs. the egg’ relationship there,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says, noting that, in some people with both insomnia and anxiety, it can be hard to tell which came first. Similarly, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders can also impact sleep negatively. About 40% of adults with insomnia also had a diagnosable mental health disorder, most often depression, an article in The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine notes. If you’re struggling with your mental health and it’s impacting your sleep , talk to your doctor. Life Circumstances and Habits The circumstances and stressors in your life are going to play a major role in your insomnia Dr. Khosla says. For instance, if you have a super important project coming up at work or school, you might experience short-term insomnia. Likewise, if you have a new baby in the house, or you’ve recently moved, or you’ve changed time zones, these can all lead to sleeplessness, typically short-term. Meanwhile, your daily habits also have an impact, Dr. Khosla adds. If you’re scrolling on TikTok, basking in blue light before bed, it might negatively impact your sleep. If you’re super inconsistent on what time you hit the hay, you might also have more issues with insomnia. Several risk factors predispose you to chronic insomnia, per The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine , including: Age (older folks are more prone) Gender (women are more likely to have insomnia) Having comorbid medical or mental health conditions “The biggest danger of insomnia is an acute complication—say, falling asleep at the wheel,” says Dr. Holliday-Bell. “A lot of traffic accidents are due to drowsy driving or falling asleep while driving. If you operate heavy machinery at work, you're more prone to accidents if you have insomnia.” But insomnia can also jeopardize your health over the long haul. “Chronic insomnia increases your risk of significant longer-term conditions like cardiovascular disease , high blood pressure , stroke , and diabetes ,” Dr. Holliday-Bell adds. The National Library of Medicine notes that complications of insomnia can include: Cardiovascular disease Dependence on sleep medications or similar drugs Hypertension Mood-impacting disorders such as anxiety and depression Type 2 diabetes Dr. Holliday-Bell notes that no one test that reveals insomnia—it’s a clinical diagnosis made by your doctor. You also might do a sleep study where you’re hooked up to an EEG machine while you stay overnight in a clinic, so doctors can study your patterns and help figure out what’s happening. Some approaches to treating insomnia are more effective long term than others. Let’s look at the most popular options. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Dr. Holliday-Bell says CBT is the “gold standard” for treating insomnia. “It’s a therapeutic process that focuses on the underlying cause of insomnia,” she says. “It’s unpacking and addressing the roots—the maladaptive thoughts surrounding sleep that ultimately lead to sleep anxiety. It addresses the cognitions and then the behaviors that have resulted in insomnia.” Medications Supplements like melatonin and magnesium are options but you should always talk to your doctor before trying them and know that results are mixed on many of them. “It’s not uncommon for a doctor to give a prescription for a sleep aid short-term, as someone starts to try behavioral therapy, but it’s with the ultimate goal of weaning off of sleep medications,” Dr. Khosla says. Habit Changes Dr. Khosla says changing your habits may help, although even with a change in behavior, for some people, insomnia persists. For example, getting into bed at the same time each night and waking at the same time is good, as is adjusting your phone settings to eliminate blue light-specific exposure after sunset, nixing your afternoon coffee, or working out in the morning instead of at night. You also might try meditating before bed. Stop Overthinking It Sleep is having a major moment right now in the wellness tech space. You can buy blue-light shielding glasses. You can track your shuteye with your smart phone or myriad other devices. You can even order an actual bed to tuck your phone into to stop you from the blue light exposure. Dr. Khosla thinks a lot of modern wellness tools are causing folks to overthink their sleep routines. “With all of these wearables, a lot of people have been a little bit more focused on sleep, which, in some ways, is great—except for when it becomes a problem,” she says. A hyper-focus on sleep, she notes, can ironically stoke the anxiety that keeps people awake. The vast majority of people experience the occasional sleepless night, and as many as one in three adults have varying degrees of insomnia. Given how common it is, perhaps it’s no surprise that there are multiple effective strategies to combat it. If you get prompt treatment and intervention, especially with shorter-term insomnia, the prognosis is quite good. As Dr. Khosla says, if insomnia is impacting your waking life, it’s worth reaching out and getting help. Feeling tired all day isn’t normal and retreating to bed for a nap isn’t necessary—you have more important things to do, and with the right interventions, you’ll be on your way.
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Occasional tossing and turning is one thing—but if you’re experiencing regular sleep disruptions at night and trouble functioning during the day, it could be a medical condition. Updated Feb 20, 2024 By [Molly Longman](https://www.healthcentral.com/author/molly-longman) Medical Reviewer[Deepa Burman, M.D.](https://www.healthcentral.com/contributor/deepa-burman) ![A woman sits up in bed at night](https://images.ctfassets.net/yixw23k2v6vo/2pUEGPRjaup6uEjzWdKm7q/5f1fdbc15689a98585b9a237ea9c9aae/woman-having-insomnia-GettyImages-1726094956-3000x2000.jpg?fm=avif&fit=thumb&q=65&w=492&h=328) [GettyImages/urbazon](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-woman-having-insomnia-in-her-bedroom-at-night-royalty-free-image/1726094956) ###### Jump To - [What It Is](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#what-it-is) - [Types](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#types) - [Symptoms](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#symptoms) - [Daytime Effects](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#daytime-effects) - [Causes](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#causes) - [Risk Factors](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#risk-factors) - [Complications](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#complications) - [Diagnosis](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#diagnosis) - [Treating and Preventing](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#treating-and-preventing) - [Outlook](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#outlook) You might toss around the term insomnia after hours of desperately staring at the ceiling but there’s a difference between a single sleepless night and a string of them (or even many months of them!) that typifies this sleep condition. For sure, whether your [restless nights](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/tossing-and-turning-at-night) are frequent or few and far between, it feels incredibly stressful when it happens. But there are differences when it comes to the long-term effects on your health. “One night of bad sleep will not destroy your life,” says [Seema Khosla](https://www.chooseheartland.com/physician-details.php?PID=884#gsc.tab=0), M.D., the medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo, ND. But insomnia, she cautions, can have very deleterious effects, causing headaches, mood changes, and even contributing to chronic health issues like diabetes. About 30% of adults have symptoms of insomnia, per the [American Academy of Sleep Medicine](https://aasm.org/resources/factsheets/insomnia.pdf), so sleeping is consistently difficult for you, you’re not alone. Here, we asked experts like Dr. Khosla what to know about insomnia, when to talk to a doctor, and how to get the sleep you so desperately need. What It Is ## What Is Insomnia? Insomnia is defined as either a short-term (acute) or longer-term (chronic) inability to get consistent sleep. Most adults need [seven to nine hours of shuteye](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough/faq-20057898) daily, though the right number for you can be highly individual. Insomnia is typically considered chronic when it happens at least [three nights per week for three months or longer](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167). However, Dr. Khosla notes that it’s worth talking to a doctor if your inability to get good sleep is consistently, negatively impacting your waking life, whether you meet an official definition or not. Rather than clock-counting at night (which can hurt more than it helps) or relying on your smartwatch to track your sleep, she suggests people focus most of their energy on how they feel during the day. “Sometimes someone will come in who says they feel fine all day, but they’re concerned because their sleep tracker says they're only getting an hour of deep sleep,” she notes. Daytime impacts are the biggest telltale sign of an issue. Meanwhile, if you always feel tired and moody, and have a hard time waking up, Dr. Khosla says it’s worth talking to someone, even if your smartwatch says you’re getting a perfect eight hours each night. Types ## Types of Insomnia The International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 3rd edition (ICSD-III) now classifies most cases of insomnia into two main categories, per [StatPearls](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554516/): - Short-term insomnia. Insomnia that lasts under three months (also sometimes called transient or acute insomnia) fall into this category. - Chronic insomnia. Insomnia that lasts for three nights per week for at least three months is considered chronic. Doctors used to categorize insomnia by its cause, [the National Library of Medicine](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554516/) notes. It was usually divided into two categories: - Primary insomnia. This type of insomnia is not linked to medications, a health condition, or a specific problem. - Secondary insomnia. This refers to having trouble sleeping as a secondary issue to another health condition or issue (such as pain, restless leg syndrome, [sleep apnea](https://www.healthcentral.com/category/sleep-apnea), asthma, depression, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, or heartburn, a medication, or substance used). Meanwhile, Dr. Khosla also breaks down chronic insomnia for her patients by how and when it impacts their sleep: - Sleep-onset insomnia: Trouble with falling asleep. - Sleep-maintenance insomnia: Problems staying asleep, a.k.a. waking up for long period in the night. - Mixed insomnia: Having issues with both falling asleep and staying asleep. It can be hard to define what it means to have “trouble” falling asleep, as the amount of time that constitutes “trouble” can feel arbitrary, says [Angela Holliday-Bell](https://www.instagram.com/thesleep_md/?hl=en), M.D. a board-certified physician and certified sleep specialist in Chicago. But she says a good rule of thumb is that it should take less than 20 minutes to fall asleep. Since you’re likely not aware of exactly how long it took you to drift off, how you feel during your waking hours may be the ultimate judge. It’s entirely possible to believe you haven’t slept when you actually have. This is known as [paradoxical insomnia](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/paradoxical-insomnia), which falls under [chronic insomnia](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554516/) but usually indicates poor quality sleep rather than wakefulness. People with paradoxical insomnia feel like they’re awake when they’re asleep, so they underestimate how many hours they slept and can feel like they’ve hardly slept despite logging a standard night’s sleep, according to [The Sleep Foundation](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/paradoxical-insomnia). “Sometimes there is a sensation of I'm awake,” Dr. Khosla explains. “You’ll tell your spouse you got 15 minutes of sleep, but they say you were snoring the second your head hit the pillow. There’s a disconnect between their subjective experience versus the objective experience and a lot of the time, it’s because they’re getting super light sleep, so the brain doesn’t feel like it’s asleep.” This can also be due to [sleep apnea](https://www.healthcentral.com/slideshow/connection-between-copd-sleep-apnea-and-heart-disease), Dr. Khosla cautions, so it’s important to seek help if this happens to you regularly. Symptoms ## Symptoms of Insomnia Unsurprising to anyone who’s ever slept badly, insomnia can make you feel wretched. Per [Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167), symptoms include: - Brain fog - Fatigue or low energy - Feeling cranky, depressed or anxious - Feeling exhausted during the day - Having a hard time falling asleep (obviously) - Having a hard time focusing - Making more mistakes - Memory problems - Ongoing worries about sleep - Waking up during the night - Waking up too early As someone who’s experienced insomnia herself, Dr. Holliday-Bell is empathetic toward those who are struggling with it. “Insomnia can include waking up with headaches, experiencing a lack of motivation, falling asleep when you’re not meaning to, feeling the need to nap, and craving multiple cups of coffee,” she adds. Daytime Effects ## Daytime Effects of Insomnia How you sleep (or don’t) at night massively affects how you function during the day, explains Dr. Khosla. Some daytime impacts of insomnia include: - Decreased functioning or productivity in an academic or work setting - Difficulty with concentrating, brain fog, or impaired attention or memory - Impacts on interpersonal or social interactions - Susceptibility to errors and accidents Causes ## Causes of Insomnia Getting to the root cause of an ongoing sleep issue can be the first step in scoring a better night’s rest. Researchers have identified the most common triggers. ### Genetics [Research has shown](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5187578/) that genetics play a major role in ongoing sleeplessness. “If both your parents have \[experienced\] insomnia, there’s a good chance you’ll have it \[at some point\],” Dr. Holliday-Bell notes. “Though there’s a higher tendency towards females having it than males.” However, even if family history makes you prone to insomnia, it often takes a combination of factors—including lifestyle habits—to trigger it. “Things like stress or drinking lots of coffee to stay up and work will throw you over the threshold that's already lower just because of your genetics,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says. ### Brain Activity Differences Research in the last decade out of Johns Hopkins University of Medicine found that differences in brain functioning may also play a role in chronic insomnia. A [study in](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3920319/) [Sleep](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3920319/) found that the motor cortex in the brain of those with chronic insomnia tended to be more adaptable to change, while the neurons in that region were more “excitable.” This furthered research that showed that those who have insomnia may be processing information more constantly, which may interfere with sleep. “Insomnia is not a nighttime disorder. It’s a 24-hour brain condition, like a light switch that is always on,” according to [study co-author Rachel E. Salas, M.D](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/researchers_identify_brain_differences_linked_to_insomnia)[.](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/researchers_identify_brain_differences_linked_to_insomnia) ### Medical Conditions Beyond sleep apnea, many other [medical conditions can interfere with sleep](https://www.healthcentral.com/experience/chronic-persons-guide-to-better-sleep). For example, “[chronic pain](https://www.healthcentral.com/pain-management/chronic-pain-explained) is so hard because it may cause arousal that keeps waking you up,” Dr. Khosla says. Conditions that can steal your sleep include: - Acid reflux - Alzheimer’s - Asthma - Cancer - Diabetes - GERD - Overactive thyroid - Parkinson’s “Historically, sleep is something that has been relegated to its own little corner in the outpatient world. We haven't fully grasped this idea that sleep trickles into everything,” Dr. Khosla says, adding that trouble with any organ system can have an impact on your sleep. ### Medications or Substances In addition to everyday culprits like alcohol and caffeine, the medications you take can impact your sleep, causing insomnia, Dr. Khosla explains. “If you have [COPD](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/copd) or [asthma](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/asthma), medications we use to treat those disorders can lead you to stay awake,” she says. “When we use beta blockers for [heart failure](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/heart-failure) or [atrial fibrillation](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/atrial-fibrillation), those can cause nightmares that impact sleep.” Similarly, antidepressants, some pain, allergy or cold medications, and weight-loss drugs can disrupt sleep, per [Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167). ### Mental Health Conditions [Anxiety](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/anxiety) and [depression](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/depression) can be both symptoms and causes of insomnia. “There’s that ‘chicken vs. the egg’ relationship there,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says, noting that, in some people with both insomnia and anxiety, it can be hard to tell which came first. Similarly, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders can also impact sleep negatively. About 40% of adults with insomnia also had a diagnosable mental health disorder, most often depression, an article in [The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1978319/#:~:text=Various%20risk%20factors%20associated%20with,psychiatric%20disorder%E2%80%94most%20notably%20depression.) notes. If you’re struggling with your [mental health and it’s impacting your sleep](https://www.healthcentral.com/article/how-lack-of-consistent-sleep-affects-mental-health), talk to your doctor. ### Life Circumstances and Habits The circumstances and stressors in your life are going to play a major role in your insomnia Dr. Khosla says. For instance, if you have a super important project coming up at work or school, you might experience short-term insomnia. Likewise, if you have a new baby in the house, or you’ve recently moved, or you’ve changed time zones, these can all lead to sleeplessness, typically short-term. Meanwhile, your daily habits also have an impact, Dr. Khosla adds. If you’re scrolling on TikTok, basking in blue light before bed, it might negatively impact your sleep. If you’re super inconsistent on what time you hit the hay, you might also have more issues with insomnia. Risk Factors ## Risk Factors for Insomnia Several risk factors predispose you to chronic insomnia, per [The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1978319/#:~:text=Various%20risk%20factors%20associated%20with,psychiatric%20disorder%E2%80%94most%20notably%20depression.), including: - Age (older folks are more prone) - Gender (women are more likely to have insomnia) - Having comorbid medical or mental health conditions Complications ## Complications of Insomnia “The biggest danger of insomnia is an acute complication—say, falling asleep at the wheel,” says Dr. Holliday-Bell. “A lot of traffic accidents are due to drowsy driving or falling asleep while driving. If you operate heavy machinery at work, you're more prone to accidents if you have insomnia.” But insomnia can also jeopardize your health over the long haul. “Chronic insomnia increases your risk of significant longer-term conditions like [cardiovascular disease](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/heart-disease), [high blood pressure](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/hypertension), [stroke](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/stroke), and [diabetes](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/diabetes),” Dr. Holliday-Bell adds. [The National Library of Medicine](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554516/) notes that complications of insomnia can include: - Cardiovascular disease - Dependence on sleep medications or similar drugs - Hypertension - Mood-impacting disorders such as anxiety and depression - Type 2 diabetes Diagnosis ## How Is Insomnia Diagnosed? Dr. Holliday-Bell notes that no one test that reveals insomnia—it’s a clinical diagnosis made by your doctor. You also might do a sleep study where you’re hooked up to an EEG machine while you stay overnight in a clinic, so doctors can study your patterns and help figure out what’s happening. Treating and Preventing ## Treatment and Prevention of Insomnia Some approaches to treating insomnia are more effective long term than others. Let’s look at the most popular options. ### Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Dr. Holliday-Bell says [CBT](https://www.healthcentral.com/article/5-reasons-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-may-not-work-for-you) is the “gold standard” for treating insomnia. “It’s a therapeutic process that focuses on the underlying cause of insomnia,” she says. “It’s unpacking and addressing the roots—the maladaptive thoughts surrounding sleep that ultimately lead to sleep anxiety. It addresses the cognitions and then the behaviors that have resulted in insomnia.” ### Medications [Supplements](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/best-sleep-aids) like melatonin and magnesium are options but you should always talk to your doctor before trying them and know that results are mixed on many of them. “It’s not uncommon for a doctor to give a prescription for a [sleep aid](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/best-sleep-aids) short-term, as someone starts to try behavioral therapy, but it’s with the ultimate goal of weaning off of sleep medications,” Dr. Khosla says. ### Habit Changes Dr. Khosla says changing your habits may help, although even with a change in behavior, for some people, insomnia persists. For example, getting into bed at the same time each night and waking at the same time is good, as is adjusting your phone settings to [eliminate blue light-specific exposure](https://9to5mac.com/2023/02/06/block-blue-light-iphone-better-sleep/) after sunset, nixing your afternoon coffee, or working out in the morning instead of at night. You also might try meditating before bed. ### Stop Overthinking It Sleep is having a major moment right now in the wellness tech space. You can buy blue-light shielding glasses. You can track your shuteye with your smart phone or myriad other devices. You can even order an actual bed to [tuck your phone into](https://www.amazon.com/Arianna-Huffingtons-Phone-Charging-Station/dp/B079C5DBF4?th=1) to stop you from the blue light exposure. Dr. Khosla thinks a lot of modern wellness tools are causing folks to overthink their sleep routines. “With all of these wearables, a lot of people have been a little bit more focused on sleep, which, in some ways, is great—except for when it becomes a problem,” she says. A hyper-focus on sleep, she notes, can ironically stoke the anxiety that keeps people awake. Outlook ## Outlook The vast majority of people experience the occasional sleepless night, and as many as one in three adults have varying degrees of insomnia. Given how common it is, perhaps it’s no surprise that there are multiple effective strategies to combat it. If you get prompt treatment and intervention, especially with shorter-term insomnia, the prognosis is quite good. As Dr. Khosla says, if insomnia is impacting your waking life, it’s worth reaching out and getting help. Feeling tired all day isn’t normal and retreating to bed for a nap isn’t necessary—you have more important things to do, and with the right interventions, you’ll be on your way. This article was originally published January 26, 2024 and most recently updated February 20, 2024. © 2026 HealthCentral LLC. All rights reserved. Sources Insomnia prevalence: American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2008.) "Insomnia." <https://aasm.org/resources/factsheets/insomnia.pdf> Insomnia symptoms and causes: Mayo Clinic. (2024.) "Insomnia."<https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167> Hours of sleep needed : Mayo Clinic. (2023.) "How many hours of sleep are enough for good health?" <https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough/faq-20057898> Paradoxical Insomnia: Sleep Foundation. (2024.) "Paradoxical Insomnia: The Misperception of Your Sleep State." <https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/paradoxical-insomnia> Insomnia symptoms and types : StatPearls. (2023.) "Short-Term Insomnia." <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554516/> Treatments: Neurotherapeutics. (2012.) "Non-Pharmacological Treatment of Insomnia." <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3480569/> Daytime effects: Brain Sciences. (2021.) "How Sleep Affects Daytime Functioning: The Latest Insights from Different Patient and Age Groups." [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8465067/\#:~:text=Sleep%20problems%20can%20have%20a,anxiety%20and%20depression%20%5B2%5D](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8465067/#:~:text=Sleep%20problems%20can%20have%20a,anxiety%20and%20depression%20%5B2%5D). Genetics and insomnia: Brain Sciences. (2016.) "Genetic Pathways to Insomnia." <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5187578/> Brain differences and insomnia \[1\]: Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2014.) "Researchers Identify Brain Differences Linked to Insomnia." <https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/researchers_identify_brain_differences_linked_to_insomnia> Brain differences and insomnia \[2\]:Sleep. (2014.) "Increased Use-Dependent Plasticity in Chronic Insomnia." <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3920319/> Insomnia's consequences: [The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1978319/#:~:text=Various%20risk%20factors%20associated%20with,psychiatric%20disorder%E2%80%94most%20notably%20depression.). (2007.) "Insomnia: Definition, Prevalence, Etiology, and Consequences." 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Readable Markdown	- [Sleep Disorders](https://www.healthcentral.com/category/sleep-disorders) - [Insomnia](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia) Medically Reviewed ## Insomnia or a Bad Night’s Sleep? Occasional tossing and turning is one thing—but if you’re experiencing regular sleep disruptions at night and trouble functioning during the day, it could be a medical condition. By ![A woman sits up in bed at night](https://images.ctfassets.net/yixw23k2v6vo/2pUEGPRjaup6uEjzWdKm7q/5f1fdbc15689a98585b9a237ea9c9aae/woman-having-insomnia-GettyImages-1726094956-3000x2000.jpg?fm=avif&fit=thumb&q=65&w=492&h=328) ###### Jump To - [What It Is](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#what-it-is) - [Types](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#types) - [Symptoms](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#symptoms) - [Daytime Effects](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#daytime-effects) - [Causes](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#causes) - [Risk Factors](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#risk-factors) - [Complications](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#complications) - [Diagnosis](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#diagnosis) - [Treating and Preventing](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#treating-and-preventing) - [Outlook](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/insomnia#outlook) You might toss around the term insomnia after hours of desperately staring at the ceiling but there’s a difference between a single sleepless night and a string of them (or even many months of them!) that typifies this sleep condition. For sure, whether your [restless nights](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/tossing-and-turning-at-night) are frequent or few and far between, it feels incredibly stressful when it happens. But there are differences when it comes to the long-term effects on your health. “One night of bad sleep will not destroy your life,” says [Seema Khosla](https://www.chooseheartland.com/physician-details.php?PID=884#gsc.tab=0), M.D., the medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo, ND. But insomnia, she cautions, can have very deleterious effects, causing headaches, mood changes, and even contributing to chronic health issues like diabetes. About 30% of adults have symptoms of insomnia, per the [American Academy of Sleep Medicine](https://aasm.org/resources/factsheets/insomnia.pdf), so sleeping is consistently difficult for you, you’re not alone. Here, we asked experts like Dr. Khosla what to know about insomnia, when to talk to a doctor, and how to get the sleep you so desperately need. Insomnia is defined as either a short-term (acute) or longer-term (chronic) inability to get consistent sleep. Most adults need [seven to nine hours of shuteye](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough/faq-20057898) daily, though the right number for you can be highly individual. Insomnia is typically considered chronic when it happens at least [three nights per week for three months or longer](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167). However, Dr. Khosla notes that it’s worth talking to a doctor if your inability to get good sleep is consistently, negatively impacting your waking life, whether you meet an official definition or not. Rather than clock-counting at night (which can hurt more than it helps) or relying on your smartwatch to track your sleep, she suggests people focus most of their energy on how they feel during the day. “Sometimes someone will come in who says they feel fine all day, but they’re concerned because their sleep tracker says they're only getting an hour of deep sleep,” she notes. Daytime impacts are the biggest telltale sign of an issue. Meanwhile, if you always feel tired and moody, and have a hard time waking up, Dr. Khosla says it’s worth talking to someone, even if your smartwatch says you’re getting a perfect eight hours each night. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 3rd edition (ICSD-III) now classifies most cases of insomnia into two main categories, per [StatPearls](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554516/): - Short-term insomnia. Insomnia that lasts under three months (also sometimes called transient or acute insomnia) fall into this category. - Chronic insomnia. Insomnia that lasts for three nights per week for at least three months is considered chronic. Doctors used to categorize insomnia by its cause, [the National Library of Medicine](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554516/) notes. It was usually divided into two categories: - Primary insomnia. This type of insomnia is not linked to medications, a health condition, or a specific problem. - Secondary insomnia. This refers to having trouble sleeping as a secondary issue to another health condition or issue (such as pain, restless leg syndrome, [sleep apnea](https://www.healthcentral.com/category/sleep-apnea), asthma, depression, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, or heartburn, a medication, or substance used). Meanwhile, Dr. Khosla also breaks down chronic insomnia for her patients by how and when it impacts their sleep: - Sleep-onset insomnia: Trouble with falling asleep. - Sleep-maintenance insomnia: Problems staying asleep, a.k.a. waking up for long period in the night. - Mixed insomnia: Having issues with both falling asleep and staying asleep. It can be hard to define what it means to have “trouble” falling asleep, as the amount of time that constitutes “trouble” can feel arbitrary, says [Angela Holliday-Bell](https://www.instagram.com/thesleep_md/?hl=en), M.D. a board-certified physician and certified sleep specialist in Chicago. But she says a good rule of thumb is that it should take less than 20 minutes to fall asleep. Since you’re likely not aware of exactly how long it took you to drift off, how you feel during your waking hours may be the ultimate judge. It’s entirely possible to believe you haven’t slept when you actually have. This is known as [paradoxical insomnia](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/paradoxical-insomnia), which falls under [chronic insomnia](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554516/) but usually indicates poor quality sleep rather than wakefulness. People with paradoxical insomnia feel like they’re awake when they’re asleep, so they underestimate how many hours they slept and can feel like they’ve hardly slept despite logging a standard night’s sleep, according to [The Sleep Foundation](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/paradoxical-insomnia). “Sometimes there is a sensation of I'm awake,” Dr. Khosla explains. “You’ll tell your spouse you got 15 minutes of sleep, but they say you were snoring the second your head hit the pillow. There’s a disconnect between their subjective experience versus the objective experience and a lot of the time, it’s because they’re getting super light sleep, so the brain doesn’t feel like it’s asleep.” This can also be due to [sleep apnea](https://www.healthcentral.com/slideshow/connection-between-copd-sleep-apnea-and-heart-disease), Dr. Khosla cautions, so it’s important to seek help if this happens to you regularly. Unsurprising to anyone who’s ever slept badly, insomnia can make you feel wretched. Per [Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167), symptoms include: - Brain fog - Fatigue or low energy - Feeling cranky, depressed or anxious - Feeling exhausted during the day - Having a hard time falling asleep (obviously) - Having a hard time focusing - Making more mistakes - Memory problems - Ongoing worries about sleep - Waking up during the night - Waking up too early As someone who’s experienced insomnia herself, Dr. Holliday-Bell is empathetic toward those who are struggling with it. “Insomnia can include waking up with headaches, experiencing a lack of motivation, falling asleep when you’re not meaning to, feeling the need to nap, and craving multiple cups of coffee,” she adds. How you sleep (or don’t) at night massively affects how you function during the day, explains Dr. Khosla. Some daytime impacts of insomnia include: - Decreased functioning or productivity in an academic or work setting - Difficulty with concentrating, brain fog, or impaired attention or memory - Impacts on interpersonal or social interactions - Susceptibility to errors and accidents Getting to the root cause of an ongoing sleep issue can be the first step in scoring a better night’s rest. Researchers have identified the most common triggers. ### Genetics [Research has shown](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5187578/) that genetics play a major role in ongoing sleeplessness. “If both your parents have \[experienced\] insomnia, there’s a good chance you’ll have it \[at some point\],” Dr. Holliday-Bell notes. “Though there’s a higher tendency towards females having it than males.” However, even if family history makes you prone to insomnia, it often takes a combination of factors—including lifestyle habits—to trigger it. “Things like stress or drinking lots of coffee to stay up and work will throw you over the threshold that's already lower just because of your genetics,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says. ### Brain Activity Differences Research in the last decade out of Johns Hopkins University of Medicine found that differences in brain functioning may also play a role in chronic insomnia. A [study in](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3920319/) [Sleep](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3920319/) found that the motor cortex in the brain of those with chronic insomnia tended to be more adaptable to change, while the neurons in that region were more “excitable.” This furthered research that showed that those who have insomnia may be processing information more constantly, which may interfere with sleep. “Insomnia is not a nighttime disorder. It’s a 24-hour brain condition, like a light switch that is always on,” according to [study co-author Rachel E. Salas, M.D](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/researchers_identify_brain_differences_linked_to_insomnia)[.](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/researchers_identify_brain_differences_linked_to_insomnia) ### Medical Conditions Beyond sleep apnea, many other [medical conditions can interfere with sleep](https://www.healthcentral.com/experience/chronic-persons-guide-to-better-sleep). For example, “[chronic pain](https://www.healthcentral.com/pain-management/chronic-pain-explained) is so hard because it may cause arousal that keeps waking you up,” Dr. Khosla says. Conditions that can steal your sleep include: - Acid reflux - Alzheimer’s - Asthma - Cancer - Diabetes - GERD - Overactive thyroid - Parkinson’s “Historically, sleep is something that has been relegated to its own little corner in the outpatient world. We haven't fully grasped this idea that sleep trickles into everything,” Dr. Khosla says, adding that trouble with any organ system can have an impact on your sleep. ### Medications or Substances In addition to everyday culprits like alcohol and caffeine, the medications you take can impact your sleep, causing insomnia, Dr. Khosla explains. “If you have [COPD](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/copd) or [asthma](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/asthma), medications we use to treat those disorders can lead you to stay awake,” she says. “When we use beta blockers for [heart failure](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/heart-failure) or [atrial fibrillation](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/atrial-fibrillation), those can cause nightmares that impact sleep.” Similarly, antidepressants, some pain, allergy or cold medications, and weight-loss drugs can disrupt sleep, per [Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167). ### Mental Health Conditions [Anxiety](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/anxiety) and [depression](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/depression) can be both symptoms and causes of insomnia. “There’s that ‘chicken vs. the egg’ relationship there,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says, noting that, in some people with both insomnia and anxiety, it can be hard to tell which came first. Similarly, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders can also impact sleep negatively. About 40% of adults with insomnia also had a diagnosable mental health disorder, most often depression, an article in [The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1978319/#:~:text=Various%20risk%20factors%20associated%20with,psychiatric%20disorder%E2%80%94most%20notably%20depression.) notes. If you’re struggling with your [mental health and it’s impacting your sleep](https://www.healthcentral.com/article/how-lack-of-consistent-sleep-affects-mental-health), talk to your doctor. ### Life Circumstances and Habits The circumstances and stressors in your life are going to play a major role in your insomnia Dr. Khosla says. For instance, if you have a super important project coming up at work or school, you might experience short-term insomnia. Likewise, if you have a new baby in the house, or you’ve recently moved, or you’ve changed time zones, these can all lead to sleeplessness, typically short-term. Meanwhile, your daily habits also have an impact, Dr. Khosla adds. If you’re scrolling on TikTok, basking in blue light before bed, it might negatively impact your sleep. If you’re super inconsistent on what time you hit the hay, you might also have more issues with insomnia. Several risk factors predispose you to chronic insomnia, per [The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1978319/#:~:text=Various%20risk%20factors%20associated%20with,psychiatric%20disorder%E2%80%94most%20notably%20depression.), including: - Age (older folks are more prone) - Gender (women are more likely to have insomnia) - Having comorbid medical or mental health conditions “The biggest danger of insomnia is an acute complication—say, falling asleep at the wheel,” says Dr. Holliday-Bell. “A lot of traffic accidents are due to drowsy driving or falling asleep while driving. If you operate heavy machinery at work, you're more prone to accidents if you have insomnia.” But insomnia can also jeopardize your health over the long haul. “Chronic insomnia increases your risk of significant longer-term conditions like [cardiovascular disease](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/heart-disease), [high blood pressure](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/hypertension), [stroke](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/stroke), and [diabetes](https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/diabetes),” Dr. Holliday-Bell adds. [The National Library of Medicine](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554516/) notes that complications of insomnia can include: - Cardiovascular disease - Dependence on sleep medications or similar drugs - Hypertension - Mood-impacting disorders such as anxiety and depression - Type 2 diabetes Dr. Holliday-Bell notes that no one test that reveals insomnia—it’s a clinical diagnosis made by your doctor. You also might do a sleep study where you’re hooked up to an EEG machine while you stay overnight in a clinic, so doctors can study your patterns and help figure out what’s happening. Some approaches to treating insomnia are more effective long term than others. Let’s look at the most popular options. ### Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Dr. Holliday-Bell says [CBT](https://www.healthcentral.com/article/5-reasons-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-may-not-work-for-you) is the “gold standard” for treating insomnia. “It’s a therapeutic process that focuses on the underlying cause of insomnia,” she says. “It’s unpacking and addressing the roots—the maladaptive thoughts surrounding sleep that ultimately lead to sleep anxiety. It addresses the cognitions and then the behaviors that have resulted in insomnia.” ### Medications [Supplements](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/best-sleep-aids) like melatonin and magnesium are options but you should always talk to your doctor before trying them and know that results are mixed on many of them. “It’s not uncommon for a doctor to give a prescription for a [sleep aid](https://www.healthcentral.com/sleep/best-sleep-aids) short-term, as someone starts to try behavioral therapy, but it’s with the ultimate goal of weaning off of sleep medications,” Dr. Khosla says. ### Habit Changes Dr. Khosla says changing your habits may help, although even with a change in behavior, for some people, insomnia persists. For example, getting into bed at the same time each night and waking at the same time is good, as is adjusting your phone settings to [eliminate blue light-specific exposure](https://9to5mac.com/2023/02/06/block-blue-light-iphone-better-sleep/) after sunset, nixing your afternoon coffee, or working out in the morning instead of at night. You also might try meditating before bed. ### Stop Overthinking It Sleep is having a major moment right now in the wellness tech space. You can buy blue-light shielding glasses. You can track your shuteye with your smart phone or myriad other devices. You can even order an actual bed to [tuck your phone into](https://www.amazon.com/Arianna-Huffingtons-Phone-Charging-Station/dp/B079C5DBF4?th=1) to stop you from the blue light exposure. Dr. Khosla thinks a lot of modern wellness tools are causing folks to overthink their sleep routines. “With all of these wearables, a lot of people have been a little bit more focused on sleep, which, in some ways, is great—except for when it becomes a problem,” she says. A hyper-focus on sleep, she notes, can ironically stoke the anxiety that keeps people awake. The vast majority of people experience the occasional sleepless night, and as many as one in three adults have varying degrees of insomnia. Given how common it is, perhaps it’s no surprise that there are multiple effective strategies to combat it. If you get prompt treatment and intervention, especially with shorter-term insomnia, the prognosis is quite good. As Dr. Khosla says, if insomnia is impacting your waking life, it’s worth reaching out and getting help. Feeling tired all day isn’t normal and retreating to bed for a nap isn’t necessary—you have more important things to do, and with the right interventions, you’ll be on your way. ![](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=)
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