We all have the occasional bad night's sleep, but people with insomnia constantly have sleep problems and never wake up feeling refreshed.

We asked Professor Kevin Morgan, director of the Clinical Sleep Research Unit at Loughborough University, what he'd want to know if he was diagnosed with insomnia.

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder where you regularly have a problem getting to sleep or staying asleep, or you have inadequate or ‘unrefreshing’ sleep. This is despite having plenty of opportunities to sleep. If you have insomnia you’ll feel very lethargic the next day and your mood and concentration may be affected.

How much sleep do we need?

It varies from person to person. In general, adults sleep for anything between five and 10 hours a night. We tend to sleep less as we get older, so how much sleep we need will also depend on our age. The best way to answer this question is to say we need enough sleep to wake up feeling refreshed and able to function efficiently the next day.

Will my sleep get better naturally?

It’s quite normal to experience the occasional poor night’s sleep, perhaps through worry or illness. However, if you have insomnia, these symptoms are persistent, and it's unlikely they’ll go away on their own. The best way to deal with chronic insomnia is through effective treatments combined with changes in your lifestyle.

What are the main treatments for insomnia?

There are two approaches to treating insomnia: hypnotic drugs, or sleeping pills, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Sleeping pills, available from your GP, are safe and effective in the short term (up to three to four weeks). CBT is carried out by a trained therapist over several weeks. It can result in long-lasting benefits for most people with insomnia.

What does CBT for insomnia involve?

Typically, this psychological treatment is delivered over four or five separate appointments, with each appointment lasting about 50 minutes. Treatment focuses mainly on helping you change both your sleep habits and the kinds of thoughts you may have if you can’t get to sleep. You’ll also be asked to keep a daily record of your sleep (a ‘sleep diary’).

Will sleeping tablets cure my chronic insomnia?

Sleeping tablets (such as temazepam, zolpidem, zaleplon and zopiclone) are useful in treating the symptoms of insomnia in the shorter term, but they are unlikely to cure chronic insomnia. If taken regularly for longer periods, these drugs tend to become less effective and the risk of unwanted side effects when you stop taking them can increase. If you’re given sleeping pills, make sure you only take them as your doctor prescribed.

What if I still have insomnia when I finish taking my sleeping pills?

If your insomnia persists, return to your GP to discuss treatment options. It may be that CBT is available in your general practice, or you may benefit from self-help approaches or by making changes to your lifestyle.

What lifestyle changes can I make to help my insomnia?

If you have insomnia, there are certain dos and don'ts that can help. This doesn’t mean you’re causing your own sleep problem, but it does mean your sleep may be more vulnerable to disruption from these things. See the box, top left of the page, for some useful tips.

Are there any natural remedies for insomnia?

It is possible that some complementary and alternative medicines are effective in managing conditions that cause insomnia (for example, pain or anxiety) but there are no alternative approaches to insomnia that have been proven to be as effective as sleeping pills or CBT.