The next day, they pay the price, he says. They may feel as bad as if they'd voluntarily stayed awake all night. Insomnia isn't a sleep disorder or a disease but a symptom of an underlying problem. The causes include stress, worries, frantic schedules, medical problems, children, poor sleep environments, and noisy or restless bedmates. Middle-aged people usually fall asleep easily, but they wake up repeatedly during the night.
Younger people tend to have difficulty falling asleep to begin with, sleep experts say.
Persistent insomnia, which occurs a couple of times a week or several times a month. Chronic insomnia, which varies widely in duration and severity. Some sufferers are sleepless every night for months or years. Others have two bad weeks a month. The major factors producing chronic insomnia are depression and anxiety.