Insomnia is regular trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep. Sleep apnoea is when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep. Restless legs syndrome is a strong urge to move your legs when you're resting, usually at night. This guide is written for adults. If you're worried about a child's sleep, speak to your GP or health visitor.
In short
- Insomnia is common and often improves when you change your sleep habits. If it's lasted months or it's affecting your days, see your GP.
- Sleep apnoea needs checking. Breathing that stops and starts, gasping or loud snoring, and feeling very sleepy in the day are all reasons to see your GP.
- Restless legs can be linked to low iron, pregnancy or some medicines. Your GP can look into the cause.
- Hypnosis audio doesn't treat any of these. A sleep diary is one of the most useful things to take to your GP.
What is insomnia?
Insomnia means regularly having trouble sleeping. You might find it hard to fall asleep, wake several times in the night, wake too early and not get back to sleep, or still feel tired when you get up. In the day, it can leave you tired, short-tempered or finding it hard to concentrate.
The NHS splits it into two kinds. Short-term insomnia has lasted less than 3 months. Long-term insomnia has lasted 3 months or more.
There's often more than one thing behind it. Common causes include stress or worry, a noisy, hot or cold bedroom, an uncomfortable bed, caffeine or alcohol, shift work and jet lag. Some medicines and health conditions can affect sleep too, including anxiety, depression, the menopause and an overactive thyroid. Other sleep problems, like sleep apnoea and restless legs, can also sit behind it.
Insomnia often improves when you change your sleep habits. A simple wind-down routine covers the main ones. If that hasn't helped, your GP can look at what might be causing it. They may offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for insomnia, a talking therapy that works on the thoughts and habits that keep you awake. It can be face to face or an online self-help programme.
What is sleep apnoea?
Sleep apnoea is when your breathing stops and starts while you sleep. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnoea.
Signs at night include:
- breathing that stops and starts
- gasping, snorting or choking noises
- loud snoring
- waking up a lot
In the day, you might feel very tired, find it hard to concentrate, notice mood changes or wake with a headache.
Because it happens while you're asleep, you may not know you have it. Often a partner or someone you live with notices first.
It needs checking, because if it isn't treated it can lead to more serious problems.
How it's checked and treated
Your GP may refer you to a sleep clinic, where you'll usually be given a device to wear overnight at home that checks your breathing. Treatment depends on how severe it is. For milder sleep apnoea, changes to your habits may be enough. Many people use a CPAP machine, which gently pumps air through a mask while you sleep to keep your airway open. The NHS advises not taking sleeping pills for it unless a doctor recommends them, as they can make it worse.
Sleep apnoea and driving
If you're very sleepy in the day, don't drive. If you're found to have sleep apnoea that makes you very sleepy, you mustn't drive until that's under control, and you may need to tell the DVLA. GOV.UK explains when.
What is restless legs syndrome?
Restless legs syndrome is a strong urge to move your legs, usually when you're resting in the evening or at night. It often comes with uncomfortable feelings in the legs, like tingling, throbbing or itching. Some people feel it in their arms too. Because it's worst when you're lying still, it can stop you getting to sleep.
There's often no clear cause, and it can run in families. It's been linked to low iron levels. It can start in pregnancy, and usually goes after the birth. It's also linked to kidney disease, and some medicines can make it worse. That's why your GP may check your iron levels and look at any medicines you take.
The NHS suggests some things that may help:
- exercise during the day
- go to bed and get up at the same times
- have a warm bath, or put a heat pad on your legs, before bed
- when it starts, walk, stretch or massage your legs, or take your mind off it with a book or a puzzle
- cut back on caffeine and alcohol, especially later in the day
See your GP if it's affecting your sleep or how you feel, or if these things haven't helped.
What other problems can affect sleep?
Insomnia, sleep apnoea and restless legs are the most common, but they're not the only ones. Nightmares, sleepwalking and narcolepsy, an uncommon condition that causes sleepiness you can't control, can all affect sleep. So can long-term pain. If any of these is affecting you, talk to your GP.
Can hypnosis audio help with these?
Hypnosis audio doesn't treat insomnia, sleep apnoea, restless legs or any other sleep condition. A sleep session won't change sleep apnoea, and it isn't a reason to put off seeing your GP. The same goes for any of the signs in this guide.
If you're struggling to switch off and your GP hasn't found anything else going on, a sleep session can be a calm part of your bedtime routine. It doesn't treat insomnia or any of the conditions here.
Getting ready for a GP appointment
A clear picture of your nights helps your GP work out what's going on. These steps take a few minutes a day.
- Keep a sleep diary for a week or two. Each morning, jot down when you went to bed, roughly how long it took to fall asleep, how often you woke, when you got up and how you felt in the day. Rough guesses are fine. Don't check the clock in the night to fill it in: there's more on why in Awake at 3am.
- Note what you had and when. Tea, coffee, alcohol, naps and exercise.
- Ask whoever shares your room what they notice. Snoring, gasping, pauses in your breathing, or your legs moving.
- Write down any leg feelings. When they come on and what eases them.
- List any medicines you take, including anything from a pharmacy.
- Take someone with you if you can. If a partner has noticed your breathing stop and start, it helps your GP to hear it from them.
When to talk to someone
Talk to your GP if you've changed your sleep habits and it hasn't helped, if you've had trouble sleeping for months, or if it's making it hard to cope with daily life.
See your GP sooner if:
- someone notices your breathing stop and start while you sleep, or you gasp, choke or snore loudly, and you feel very tired in the day
- restless legs are keeping you awake or affecting how you feel
- you fall asleep suddenly during the day
- you're also feeling low or anxious most days
If you feel very sleepy in the day, don't drive until you've been seen.
The Sleep Charity has more information on sleep, and runs a National Sleep Helpline at set times.
Outside the UK, speak to your doctor, or find a free helpline near you at findahelpline.com. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
Questions
Probably not. GPs rarely prescribe sleeping pills for insomnia, because they can have serious side effects and can be hard to stop. If they do, it's usually only for a few days or weeks, when insomnia is very bad and other things haven't worked.
Some contain things like valerian, lavender or an antihistamine. The NHS says they can't cure insomnia, may only help for a week or two, and can have side effects, like feeling drowsy the next day. Check with your GP or pharmacist before you take one.
Usually not. Most people wear a small monitoring device at home overnight. Occasionally you may need to stay overnight at a sleep clinic.
For most people it goes after the birth. If it's keeping you awake, tell your midwife or GP, as they may want to check your iron levels.
Sources
- NHS, Insomnia
- NHS, Sleep apnoea
- NHS, Restless legs syndrome
- NHS, Narcolepsy
- GOV.UK, Excessive sleepiness and driving
Before you start, please read who our sessions aren't suitable for →
Related guides: A simple wind-down routine: bedtime habits that help · Awake at 3am: what to do instead of watching the clock · How much sleep do you actually need?
Browse: Sleep sessions →