Johns Hopkins Health Alert
Insomnia: Nature or Nurture?
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, about one-third of adults have symptoms of insomnia, the most common sleep disorder. In fact, insomnia is so common that many sufferers wonder if it could be inherited. Here’s what the research on insomnia and family ties shows.
From what we know so far, it looks like insomnia may very well run in families, just like diabetes and heart disease.
A study published last year in the journal Sleep reported that people who have experienced bouts of insomnia -- difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep or waking up too early -- are more likely than good sleepers to have a close relative with the condition.
About 12–15% of the population has chronic insomnia -- sleep problems that last a month or longer. In the largest study to date to evaluate insomnia and its family ties, 953 adults age 18 to 83 were surveyed multiple times about their sleep habits and the sleep habits of their parents, siblings, and children.
Just over half of the people who took the survey were classified as good sleepers, i.e., they did not report sleep complaints. About 33% experienced occasional symptoms of insomnia. Nearly 16% met all the criteria for the sleep disorder.
Participants who experienced past and current bouts of insomnia were significantly more likely than good sleepers (39.1% vs. 29%) to note that one or more family members also had experienced sleep problems.
Bottom line: So are genetics or relatives who behaviorally pass on bad sleep habits to blame? Probably a little of both. There is some evidence from smaller studies, including one that looked at twins, suggesting a genetic factor. That said, researchers are still a long way off from identifying a clear genetic marker for insomnia. There is also some evidence of a learned insomnia effect, i.e., people with bad sleep habits tend to transmit them to their children.
Posted in Depression and Anxiety on September 9, 2009
Reviewed January 2011
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