Lying awake night after night is another matter. With this condition, called insomnia, you do not get enough sleep to wake refreshed and able to function well during the day. Insomnia affects 25 million Americans all the time and millions of others some of the time. It strikes people of all ages. Insomnia has different forms.
Some people have trouble falling asleep.
Others fall asleep easily but wake during the night and have trouble falling back asleep. Some people wake too early in the morning and cannot fall asleep again. Of course not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Sleep requirements normally decrease with age. Newborn babies sleep 18 hours a day, while teens need only 8 or 9 hours, and elderly people just 5 to 6 hours.