There are different types of Insomnia:

Transient Insomnia lasts for 2-3 days;

Short-term insomnia lasts for more than a week but less than 3 weeks;

Chronic insomnia can be defined as insomnia most nights for 3 weeks or longer. It can also lead to mental health problems such as depressions, or misuse of alcohol or other medicines in order to gain sleep;

Waking early in the morning- the least common type of sleep disturbance

Difficulty getting to sleep (sleep onset insomnia). This is most common to young people;

Waking in the night (frequent nocturnal awakening) – most common in older people;

Not feeling refreshed after sleep. You may have trouble functioning normally during the day, feel irritable, tired, and find it difficult to concentrate;

Waking when you have been disturbed from sleep by pain or noise.

Every individual is different so, it is hard to define what ‘normal sleep’ is for you. Other factors include your age, lifestyle, diet and environment. Insomnia affects males and females in all age groups, but it is more prevalent in women and elderly.

More than half of all insomnia cases are caused by depression anxiety stress or grief.

Other common causes of insomnia include breathing problems, arthritis, asthma, indigestion, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia and other health problems.

A condition called Restless legs Syndrome is also to blame for insomnia, as is sleep apnea. Caffeine consumption, jet lag and certain medications can also results to insomnia.

Chronic insomnia can be a symptom of a serious underlying medical disorder. People suffering from insomnia also experiencing irritability and sleepiness after one or two sleepiness nights, but when insomnia extends to three or more consecutive nights, overall performance and mild personality can result.