Understanding Insomnia

Overview

Understanding Insomnia forms part of Canada’s Sleep Calendar, a coordinated program of national public education presented by The Sleep Society to improve sleep health awareness across Canada.

Insomnia is much more than an occasional bad night’s sleep. It can involve persistent difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or returning to sleep after waking, together with significant effects on how a person feels and functions during the day. When insomnia becomes chronic, the consequences can extend into physical health, mental wellbeing, relationships, work, safety and quality of life.

Importantly, chronic insomnia is a recognized sleep disorder and effective treatment is available. By improving public understanding of insomnia, this initiative aims to encourage earlier recognition, reduce misconceptions and help people understand when persistent sleep difficulties deserve professional attention.

Why it matters

Almost everyone experiences occasional difficulty sleeping, particularly during periods of stress, illness or major life change. Chronic insomnia is different. Persistent sleep difficulty can affect concentration, memory, mood, emotional wellbeing and daily performance and is associated with increased risks of mental and physical health problems.

Insomnia can also become self-perpetuating. Worry about not sleeping, spending excessive time trying to sleep and changing everyday behaviours in an attempt to compensate for poor sleep can sometimes reinforce the problem.

Effective treatment does not necessarily begin with sleeping medication. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is recommended as first-line treatment for chronic insomnia and can produce lasting improvements in sleep for many people. Greater awareness can help people recognize the condition and seek appropriate evidence-based care.

Background

Understanding Insomnia is observed throughout June as part of Canada’s Sleep Calendar. The initiative promotes greater public understanding of insomnia, its causes and consequences, and the availability of effective treatment.

For many years, people experiencing persistent insomnia were commonly advised simply to relax, go to bed earlier or try harder to sleep. We now understand that chronic insomnia is more complex. Biological, psychological, behavioural, environmental and medical factors can all contribute, and insomnia may occur independently or alongside other physical, mental health and sleep disorders.

Understanding the difference between occasional poor sleep and chronic insomnia is important. Equally important is recognizing that people do not necessarily have to accept persistent insomnia as part of stress, aging or modern life. Appropriate assessment can identify contributing factors and guide effective treatment.

Current activities

The Sleep Society and SleepSafeCanada are currently working to:

• Promote public understanding of insomnia and the difference between occasional poor sleep and chronic insomnia.
• Increase awareness that persistent insomnia is a recognized sleep disorder for which effective treatment is available.
• Promote greater awareness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) as the recommended first-line treatment for chronic insomnia.
• Develop educational resources for the public, healthcare professionals, workplaces and community organizations.
• Support annual awareness activities throughout June as part of Canada’s Sleep Calendar.
• Encourage collaboration with healthcare organizations, hospitals, educational institutions, governments, mental health professionals and other organizations involved in sleep and wellbeing.
• Build partnerships and national support to expand the initiative across Canada.

Resources

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