Sleeping problems can be devastating. Insomnia is a sleeping disorder whereby the person has the inability to fall asleep or the inability to remain asleep for a normal amount of time. Insomnia means a poor quality sleep because of one or more of the following: difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep, waking up too early in the morning or unrefreshing sleep.

At least three types of insomnia exist: transient, acute, and chronic. Transient insomnia lasts from one night to a few weeks. Most people occasionally suffer from transient insomnia due to such causes as jet lag or short-term anxiety. If this form of insomnia continues to occur from time to time, the insomnia is classified as intermittent.