Insomnia



 

Insomnia is when sleep plays hard to get: you can’t fall asleep, can’t stay asleep, or wake up way too early—despite plenty of opportunity to snooze. Causes? Anything from stress and medical problems to a noisy neighbour with a tuba.

Diagnosis is clinical—no expensive gadgets needed—just your doc asking about sleep patterns, habits, and what’s keeping your brain up at 3am.

Bonus: If it’s lasted at least three months, you’ve “earned” the chronic insomnia stamp.

Sleep needs are like phone batteries—kids need the full overnight recharge (9–12 hours), teens a little less (8–10 hours), and adults generally need 7–9 hours. Seniors sometimes get by with 6–7, but frequent naps or early morning wake-ups aren’t always “normal aging”—sometimes, it’s sneaky insomnia.

Absolutely—chronic insomnia raises the odds of depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even heart disease. It can turbocharge grumpiness, mess with memory, and sabotage your immune system’s defences. Nightly rest really does matter.

Acute insomnia is the “bad night’s sleep” everyone gets—thanks, job interview jitters or too much spicy salsa. It lasts less than 3 months and often resolves as stress fades or routines return.

Chronic insomnia? That’s at least 3 nights a week, for 3 months or more, with all the life fallout—tired days, cranky moods, and mental fog.

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata):
A high-quality, double-blind clinical study in 2024 showed that passionflower extract significantly improved sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and reduced time to fall asleep for people with insomnia, compared to placebo. No significant side effects were noted—so this herb looks promising for winding down and snoozing up. 

Melatonin: 
Helpful for circadian rhythm problems or jet lag, less dramatic for garden-variety insomnia.

Valerian root:
Widely studied and generally safe. Meta-analyses show conflicting results: some trials found valerian improved sleep quality and reduced the time to fall asleep, while others found no advantage over placebo. At best, expect mild to moderate benefits for sleep latency and overall quality. 

Chamomile:
Chamomile has shown modest benefit in some studies and meta-analyses for improving subjective sleep quality. It may help people fall asleep a bit faster and feel less anxious—though the effects are gentle and sometimes similar to placebo. 

GABA:
Supplementing with GABA (the brain’s main calming neurotransmitter) may reduce time to fall asleep and occasional nightly awakenings, but most data come from small, short-term trials. As a large molecule, how much oral GABA crosses the blood-brain barrier is debated, but some users report benefits. 

L-theanine:
This calming amino acid (from green tea) has evidence for improving subjective sleep quality, especially when combined with magnesium. It promotes relaxation—boosting GABA and serotonin—and helps with sleep onset in some trials. 

Magnesium:
Magnesium helps if you’re deficient—studies show it can reduce insomnia symptoms, especially in older adults or those with restless legs. It works partly by increasing GABA activity in the brain, promoting relaxation and smoother sleep cycles.

CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia): The gold standard, and as natural as it gets—retraining your brain and bedtime habits with long-lasting results.

• Stick to consistent bed and wake times—all 7 days.

• Use the bed for sleep and, well, romance—kick out the TV, laptop, and snacks!

• Dim lights and cool the room before turning in.

• Exercise is great—just not right before bed.

• Wind down with relaxing rituals: reading, stretching, or a warm bath (skip the doomscrolling!).

When it comes to sleep meds, most options are a temporary fix—not a long-term solution. Short-term prescriptions like zolpidem or eszopiclone can help in a pinch, but they come with baggage: grogginess, falls, dependency, or bizarre sleep behaviors. Over-the-counter options (like antihistamines) often leave people feeling hungover—not rested.

Dayvigo (lemborexant) offers a more targeted approach. As an FDA-approved orexin receptor antagonist, it works by blocking the brain chemicals that keep you awake—helping people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. It’s fast-acting (within about an hour), well-tolerated for most, and carries a low risk of next-day grogginess, making it an excellent choice for ongoing sleep challenges.

Then there’s trazodone—an older antidepressant often used “off-label” for sleep. It boosts serotonin and blocks histamine, promoting drowsiness. It’s widely prescribed, especially when cost is a concern or other meds haven’t worked. But its sleep benefits are modest, and it tends to cause more next-day fog, dry mouth, and dizziness—particularly in older adults.

Both medications carry a low risk of dependence. But if you’re looking for a modern, well-studied sleep solution, Dayvigo stands out—while trazodone still holds a place for short-term or situational insomnia.