Overcoming insomnia Overcoming insomnia Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep once you have dozed off. Some estimates claim that almost half of Americans suffer from insomnia at some time in their lives. Insomnia can be described as being unable to fall asleep, unable to stay asleep once you have fallen asleep or it could be sleep that is not long enough or good enough to make you feel rested.
Most adults require between six and ten hours of sleep each night.
Others may be able to continually run on less than six hours of sleep each night, and some may require up to twelve hours. Each person has their own built-in sleep requirements. You are getting the proper amount of sleep if you feel alert throughout the day. If you are able to lie down during the day and fall asleep within five minutes, you probably did not get enough sleep the night before. Insomnia may be caused by a variety of things.