Insomnia simply means that you have a difficulty sleeping properly, whether that means waking through the night or finding it difficult to fall asleep in the first place.

There are a number of types of insomnia, and in general symptoms will include:

• A difficulty in getting to sleep,
• And/ or a difficulty staying asleep,
• Waking up early in the morning,
• Waking up through the night,
• Not feeling refreshed after your sleep,
• Feeling tired during the day,
• Feeling irritable,
• Finding it hard to concentrate.
  

A large percentage of adults will experience insomnia throughout their life, though this will range in severity.

In general there are three main ways to describe the types of insomnia: Transient, acute and chronic.

Transient Insomnia: This type of insomnia will last from a period of days to a period of weeks. This usually has a cause such as stress or timing of sleep. This kind of insomnia is temporary, though if it keeps recurring in bouts it's known as intermittent insomnia.

Acute Insomnia: This kind of insomnia will last for longer periods of time, from a few weeks to around six months.

Chronic Insomnia: This kind of insomnia can last over six months, and some people will suffer from it for years. This can lead to a number of physical and mental problems, and is often the most difficult to treat.

When it comes to understanding types of insomnia and which one you're suffering from, it's important to seek medical advice. Though there's much information out there on the Internet to help you out, there could always be an underlying medical condition causing your insomnia - so make sure to get expert advice.

When you do visit a doctor you'll usually be asked to keep a diary of your sleeping patterns for a couple of weeks. This will include your daily routine, which can help your doctor to pinpoint any specific areas that will need to be changed.

When it comes time, your doctor will look over the sleep diary and may also give you a physical examination. If necessary, you could be sent to a sleep centre for further diagnosis.

The truth is that our sleep patterns all change as we age, and the older we get the lighter we will sleep. However, if you believe there is a problem then it's important to get checked out.

Sometimes the causes of your insomnia may be obvious, but for some types of insomnia they are a little harder to diagnose. Make sure that you make use of every resource at your disposal and you should be able to find a way to give you a better sleep at night.