Insomnia

Work deadlines, family responsibilities and financial concerns do not always disappear at bedtime. If your mind stays busy after the lights go out, recognising the pattern can help you describe it and seek support.

If you keep waking during the night, your main question may be why it happens and how to get back to sleep. The useful details are how often it occurs, how long you seem to be awake and how you feel the next day.

Insomnia is more than an occasional late night. It involves trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or returning to sleep after an early awakening, even when there is a reasonable opportunity to rest.

When insomnia continues, advice to simply relax can feel frustrating. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I, is a structured treatment that addresses habits and thoughts that can maintain sleep difficulties.