# Insomnia: causes, self-help and treatment in the UK Source: https://sleepfacts.uk/sleep-problems/insomnia/ Author: Tess Marlow ยท Updated 2026-11-04 **Short answer:** Insomnia means regularly struggling to fall asleep, stay asleep or sleep long enough, and feeling the effects in the day. When it lasts 3 months or more it's called long-term insomnia. It's very common: over a third of UK adults in one study had symptoms. The best treatment is CBT for insomnia, which NICE recommends before sleeping pills. ## What counts as insomnia? According to the NHS, you have insomnia if you regularly: - find it hard to get to sleep, - wake several times in the night or lie awake, - wake early and can't get back to sleep, - still feel tired after waking, and feel tired, irritable or unable to concentrate in the day. The daytime part matters. Some people naturally need less sleep and feel fine. Insomnia is when poor sleep happens often and affects your days. If it has lasted less than 3 months it's short-term insomnia; 3 months or more is long-term insomnia. ## How common is it? Very common. In a study of 2,363 adults from five GP practices in Staffordshire, 37% reported insomnia symptoms. Among those who didn't have it at the start, about 15% developed it within a year. Of those who had insomnia at the start, 69% still had it a year later, and new insomnia was linked to anxiety, depression and pain. ## What causes it? The NHS lists the most common triggers as stress, anxiety or depression, noise, a room that's too hot or cold, an uncomfortable bed, alcohol, caffeine or nicotine, jet lag and shift work. Pain, menopause, an overactive thyroid, [restless legs](/sleep-problems/restless-legs/), [sleep apnoea](/sleep-problems/sleep-apnoea/) and many medicines can also cause it. What starts insomnia isn't always what keeps it going. After a few bad nights, people often go to bed earlier, lie in, nap and lie awake worrying about sleep. These understandable habits weaken the body's sleep drive and teach the brain to link bed with being awake, so insomnia continues after the original trigger has gone. That is what [CBT for insomnia](/sleep-problems/cbt-for-insomnia/) targets. ## What can you do yourself? - **Get up at the same time every day,** even after a bad night, and don't lie in. - **Go to bed only when sleepy,** not just because it's bedtime. - **Get up if you can't sleep.** Do something calm in dim light and return when sleepy. - **Avoid napping** while you're trying to reset your sleep. - **Cut caffeine** for at least 6 hours before bed, and keep [alcohol](/sleep-better/alcohol/) low. - **Wind down** for an hour before bed, with the bedroom dark, quiet and cool. More on these in our guide to [sleeping better](/sleep-better/). ## What will a GP offer? A GP will look for causes such as depression, pain or sleep apnoea and treat those. For insomnia itself, the main treatment is CBT for insomnia, face to face or through an online programme. NICE recommends the Sleepio app as an option in primary care, and it's available on the NHS in some areas. GPs rarely prescribe [sleeping pills](/sleep-aids/sleeping-pills/) now. The NHS says they're only given for a few days or weeks at most, when insomnia is very bad and other treatments haven't worked. A pharmacist can suggest short-term [sleep aids](/sleep-aids/), but the NHS says these should not be used for more than 1 to 2 weeks. ## Why treating it matters Insomnia isn't just tiring. In the OASIS trial at 26 UK universities, 3,755 students with insomnia were given digital CBT for insomnia or usual care. As well as sleeping better, those treated had fewer paranoid thoughts and hallucinatory experiences, and less depression and anxiety, suggesting poor sleep feeds mental health problems. See [sleep and mental health](/benefits/mood-and-mental-health/). ## Frequently asked questions ### How long does insomnia last? Short-term insomnia, often triggered by stress, illness or a change in routine, usually settles within weeks. If it lasts three months or more, it's long-term insomnia, which is less likely to go away on its own because habits and worries about sleep keep it going. ### Can insomnia be cured? Often, yes. CBT for insomnia helps most people sleep much better, and its benefits tend to last after treatment ends, unlike sleeping pills. Some people have relapses during stressful times, but the same techniques usually work again. ### Should I stay in bed if I can't sleep? No. If you've been lying awake for what feels like about 20 minutes, get up, go to another room, do something calm in dim light and go back to bed only when sleepy. This teaches your brain to link bed with sleep rather than with lying awake. ### Is insomnia dangerous? Long-term insomnia is linked to a higher risk of depression and anxiety, and treating it can improve mood. Tiredness also raises the risk of accidents, so don't drive when you feel sleepy. ## References 1. [NHS. Insomnia.](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/) 2. [Morphy H et al. Epidemiology of insomnia: a longitudinal study in a UK population. Sleep, 2007.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17425223/) 3. [Trauer JM et al. Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2015.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26054060/) 4. [Freeman D et al. The effects of improving sleep on mental health (OASIS): a randomised controlled trial with mediation analysis. Lancet Psychiatry, 2017.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28888927/) 5. [NICE. Sleepio to treat insomnia and insomnia symptoms (MTG70), 2022.](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/mtg70)