Insomnia

Insomnia can cause problems during the day, such as excessive sleepiness, fatigue, trouble thinking clearly or staying focused, or feeling depressed or irritable. It is not defined by the number of hours you sleep every night. Although the amount of sleep a person needs varies, most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night.

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is a condition in which it is difficult to get to sleep, or to remain soundly asleep, resulting in too short and too low-quality sleep which affects normal functioning. It causes fatigue and daytime sleepiness. It may be classified as acute, lasting a few days or weeks, or chronic, when it lasts longer than a month.

Insomnia Causes

Insomnia Symptoms

Insomnia Treatment

Insomnia in Pregnancy

Promoting Sounder Sleep in Older Adults

Insomnia in Children

Sleep-Onset Insomnia

Causes of Sleep-Onset Insomnia

Treatment of Sleep-Onset Insomnia

Middle of the Night Insomnia

Middle of the Night Insomnia and Biphasic Sleeping

See more featured articles »

Treatment of Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia

Screen Time and Insomnia

Latest Insomnia News and Research

Study evaluates ICU workers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

A high proportion of staff working in intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic have experienced mental health conditions, according to a new study.

21 Jul 2021

Knowledge and support from primary care services can improve women's health during menopause

More knowledge and individual support from primary care services can alleviate women's menopausal problems, a University of Gothenburg thesis shows.

21 Jul 2021

Taking "z-drugs" with opioids increases risk of death

A new study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers of more the 400,000 Medicare patients taking medications for insomnia found that the risk of death is increased when either benzodiazepines or "z-drugs" are taken with opioids.

16 Jul 2021

How ERs fail patients with addiction: One patient’s tragic death

Jameson Rybak tried to quit using opioids nearly a dozen times within five years. Each time, he'd wait out the vomiting, sweating and chills from withdrawal in his bedroom.

15 Jul 2021

Gene therapy shows promise in children with devastating genetic disorder

Children with a devastating genetic disorder characterized by severe motor disability and developmental delay have experienced sometimes dramatic improvements in a gene therapy trial launched at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

12 Jul 2021

Study finds slight improvement in reporting adverse effects in drug trials over the last 17 years

Researchers, including academics from the University of York, analyzed systematic reviews of 1,200 Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) to assess whether reporting had improved over time.

9 Jul 2021

Study investigates long-term sequelae of COVID-19 in hospitalized children

Researchers from ISARIC (International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium) pediatric Long Covid working group in the UK, Sechenov University and Z.A. Bashlyaeva Children's Municipal Clinical Hospital in Russia ran the largest study to date on children hospitalized with COVID-19.

8 Jul 2021

Insight into the impact of physical activity on sleep

In this interview, News-Medical speaks to Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis about the health problems linked to poor sleep.

8 Jul 2021

Mindfulness-based therapy could be a viable treatment for insomnia

Sleep problems are common in the general population with up to half of Singaporean adults reporting insufficient or unsatisfying sleep. Sleep quality tends to worsen with age and poor sleep is a modifiable risk factor for multiple disorders, including cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment.

7 Jul 2021

Flinders University sleep experts test new mattress sensor

Flinders University sleep experts are becoming embedded in a new trial to help people with their individual sleep disorders - via tests on a new mattress sensor.

2 Jul 2021

An oral pill for COVID-19? Molnupiravir shows promise

Recently, researchers reported molnupiravir as the first oral and direct-acting antiviral that is highly effective at reducing SARS-CoV-2 levels.

27 Jun 2021

New AASM position statement emphasizes that sleep is a biological necessity

A new position statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine emphasizes that sleep is a biological necessity, and insufficient sleep and untreated sleep disorders are detrimental for health, well-being, and public safety.

21 Jun 2021

COVID-19 patients suffer from cognitive, behavioral problems after discharge, study finds

COVID-19 patients suffer from cognitive and behavioral problems two months after being discharged from hospital, a new study presented at the 7th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) has found.

21 Jun 2021

Persistent childhood insomnia symptoms linked with risk of internalizing disorders in adulthood

A 15-year longitudinal study shows that childhood insomnia symptoms that persist into adulthood are strong determinants of mood and anxiety disorders in young adults.

9 Jun 2021

Having trouble falling asleep associated with cognitive impairment 14 years later

A study of nearly 2,500 adults found that having trouble falling asleep, as compared to other patterns of insomnia, was the main insomnia symptom that predicted cognitive impairment 14 years later.

9 Jun 2021

Sleep characteristics associated with cannabis use and binge drinking in teens, young adults

A recent study of teens and young adults found that several factors related to sleep timing and sleep duration are associated with an increased risk of cannabis use and binge drinking of alcohol during the following year.

8 Jun 2021

People with diabetes experiencing sleep disturbances have increased risk of death

Having trouble falling or staying asleep may leave you feeling tired and frustrated. It also could subtract years from your life expectancy, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom (UK).

8 Jun 2021

New clinical guidelines to manage insomnia with intensive behavioral therapy

If insomnia keeps you awake at night, Flinders University researchers recommend a trip to the doctor - not for a sleeping pill prescription but for a short course of intensive behavioral therapy.

3 Jun 2021

Increased evening screen time during Covid-19 lockdown negatively affects sleep quality

A new study in the journal Sleep finds that increased evening screen time during the Covid-19 lockdown negatively affects sleep quality.

3 Jun 2021

Melatonin prevents kidney damage caused by metabolic complications of obesity

Scientists from the University of Granada (UGR), the Hospital Universitario La Paz (Madrid), and the University of Texas (USA) have taken an important step in the fight against kidney damage and its progression towards kidney failure, which is closely related to diabesity (obesity and its type 2 diabetes) and its complications.

27 May 2021