Experience of chronic insomnia ‘could be down to genes’, study suggests

Having difficulty sleeping could be hereditary, new research suggests.

Insomnia could be down to genetics, according to the major study involving 33,000 people.

Researchers identified specific genes that may trigger the development of sleep problems.

They say they demonstrated a genetic link between sleeplessness and psychiatric disorders such as depression, or physical conditions such as type 2 diabetes.

Psychiatry professor Murray Stein, of the University of California San Diego and the VA San Diego Healthcare System, led the study.

He said: “A better understanding of the molecular bases for insomnia will be critical for the development of new treatments.”

The effects of insomnia on a person’s health can be debilitating and place a strain on the healthcare system. Chronic insomnia goes hand in hand with various long-term health issues such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Experts say it is also linked to mental illness such as posttraumatic stress disorder and suicide.

Earlier studies have shown that various sleep-related traits, including insomnia, are heritable.

Based on these findings, researchers have started to look into the specific gene variants involved.

Prof Stein said such studies are important, given the vast range of reasons why people suffer from insomnia, and the different symptoms and varieties of sleeplessness that can be experienced.