Who is at greater risk for insomnia?

There are stages of our lives when we're more susceptible to insomnia.

Women are more likely than men to report insomnia, and research has identified hormonal fluctuations, pregnancy and menopause, particularly hot flashes, as several suspected culprits.

Pain, depressionand sleep disorders such as sleep apnea can also disrupt a good night's sleep. Same goes for emotionally stressfullife events.

Older men with benignenlarged prostatemay need to get up and go to the washroom more often.

Age

Oursleep patterns shiftas we get older. Geriatricians say people should think about sleep differently as they age. For instance, keep in mind that we tend to go to bed earlier and get fewer hours of sleep during the night later in life.

Shift work

People who work frequently rotating shifts orwork at nightcan havedisturbed sleep. For example, studies suggest that as we age, we may become less able to adapt to abrupt changes in shift schedules and become more vulnerable to insomnia.

Sleep apnea is also more common among shift workers, such as bus drivers, than non-shift workers. Coping strategies, such as relying on too much caffeine or long naps, can make matters worse, researchers say.

Good sleep habits, an eating routine and walking are allrecommendedto burn the midnight oil more smoothly.