These three types may often overlap. Although anyone can become a victim of insomnia, some people are more susceptible than others. The elderly , for instance, are often afflicted, perhaps because of physical and mental problems or because some medications promote sleeplessness. Those who suffer from chronic depression also sometimes suffer from insomnia because of their poor state of mind brought on by depression and worry. Women are more often victims than men.
Women tend to worry more than men.
They also develop poor sleep habits during pregnancy and child raising years. A new study indicates that insomnia in women may be related to the menstrual cycles. With chronic insomnia, usually sleeplessness is a symptom rather than the actual problem. Stress, physical ailments or depression disrupt sleep. The culprit is often another sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea where the victim stops breathing for short periods while asleep, or restless leg syndrome , the urge to move the legs continually because of unpleasant and unaccountable sensations.