Insomnia or having trouble sleeping is very common and about 30% to 40% of adults experience insomnia in any given year. Insomnia is a symptom and not a medical condition in itself. It is your body’s way of telling you that something isn’t working right.

There are several types of insomnia: some people are having trouble falling asleep while others have trouble staying asleep. These sleep problems can just be short-term, it could just last for a few days, or weeks, or chronic which is lasting for several months or maybe more.

It can only be considered a problem if it interferes with your daily activities like waking up feeling unrefreshed or finding yourself dozing off during the day. It is also normal to sleep less as you age. So if you are sleeping less than you did when you were younger but don’t feel tired during the day then you shouldn’t worry. Because the sleep of older people is less deep and shorter. Only about 25% of the sleep of an individual over 65 years of age is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in comparison to over 50% in a young child. This tells that older people dream less since dreaming normally happens during REM sleep. And as people get older, there are some that get by with amazingly little sleep. But still, a lot of people protest that a lack of sleep affects their daytime activity.

Staying up for a number of days consecutively can produce symptoms like hallucinations, however few people with insomnia are able to reach that stage. Normally, insomnia is not usually associated with serious complications. Heavy snoring or sleep apnea, however, isn’t good for long-term health. So if you think that you are having breathing problems at night then you should see a doctor immediately. These problems are commonly observed in men, especially those who are overweight or middle-aged.