In today’s fast-paced routines — filled with meetings and calls, multiple coffees a day, and workouts squeezed in after long work hours — insomnia is no longer something we have merely heard about. It is a problem many of us face, in one form or another.

Poor sleep affects how we live: it chips away at focus, drains energy, and creates a kind of lingering fatigue that follows us everywhere. The good news is that this is something that can be addressed. But this article isn’t about quick fixes or miracle pills — it is about understanding the problem and learning how to face it properly.

So here we are, unpacking insomnia with insights from physician, neuroscientist and sleep-medicine expert Dr Mohammad Nami, alongside my friend Valeri, who has been living with insomnia for several months and has (almost) conquered it.

2025 has quietly become the year of wellness. Apple Watch and WHOOP bands, collagen sachets in every possible form, long vitamin routines and IV drips have slipped into everyday life almost without us noticing. By the middle of the year, it stopped feeling like a trend and simply became part of the routine.

Some would say this means we are becoming more aware — and they would be right. But awareness rarely appears out of nowhere. More often, it starts with a quiet sense that something isn’t quite working, followed by a search for tools to fix it. For many people around me, that search began with tracking their sleep.

So what is actually going on with insomnia today? According to data published on ScienceDirect, around 16.2% of adults worldwide experience clinically significant insomnia — more than 850 million people globally. Closer to home, the picture feels even more striking. Research linked to the Dubai Health Authority suggests that over 70% of Dubai residents experience at least one sleep disorder, with insomnia ranking as the most common.

While long-term trend data for the UAE remains limited, international studies — particularly from the US — show that insomnia rates have been steadily increasing since the early 2000s, reinforcing the sense that this isn’t just heightened awareness, but a growing issue.

And I will be honest — this topic didn’t come out of thin air for me. Falling asleep has never been the problem, but waking up two to four times a night slowly became normal. When disrupted sleep turns into routine, it stops feeling like an exception and starts demanding attention.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming that occasional sleep problems are normal. “I can’t fall asleep three nights a week, but the other four are fine,” or “I wake up several times a night, but two cups of coffee fix it.”

But this isn’t norm — it is the warning sign.

Insomnia isn’t just about a completely sleepless night. There are several forms and all of them are considered to be the problem — from acute insomnia, which appears suddenly and is often linked to stress or disruption, to chronic insomnia, where sleep problems happen regularly.

To understand this better, I spoke to Dr Mohammad Nami — physician, neuroscientist and sleep-medicine expert specialising in sleep and circadian disorders. His work focuses on evidence-based, non-pharmacological approaches to insomnia, with an emphasis on long-term sleep health rather than quick fixes. Here is how he explains it:

According to sleep research, the most common cause of insomnia is stress-related hyperarousal — a state in which the brain and body remain overly alert when they should be winding down for sleep. Stress, anxiety and persistent worry keep the mind active, preventing the relaxation necessary for restorative rest.

As mentioned earlier, this isn’t about quick fixes or miracle pills. Insomnia takes time to understand properly, and specialists often need to look closely at patterns before deciding how best to treat it.

That said, every problem has a first stage — a point where symptoms are still mild and there is room to address them on your own. So if you notice them early and want to step in before things escalate, Dr Mohammad Nami shares where to start.

When the situation becomes more serious, the next step is to address the psychological side by understanding the sources of stress. This is where sleep specialists — or sometimes even a psychologist — can help.

Insomnia is a complex topic, shaped by countless small details that vary from person to person. In clinical practice alone, there are 14 recognised types of insomnia and more than 80 different sleep disorders, which makes covering every nuance impossible.

Still, there are a few related and commonly noticed points that feel important to address. And since I had the opportunity to ask a specialist, Dr Mohammad Nami, directly, I couldn’t resist sharing those insights with you.

— When is medication appropriate in the treatment of insomnia, when is it not recommended?

— This is an important point. Medication can be helpful in the short term, particularly in cases of acute insomnia or during more severe periods when daily functioning or safety is affected. Even then, it should be used for a limited time and as a temporary support rather than a long-term solution. In chronic insomnia, medication on its own rarely addresses the underlying causes of poor sleep.

— What are the main risks associated with the medications use?

— The main risks include developing tolerance or dependence, feeling drowsy during the day, slowed thinking, and disruption of natural sleep patterns. Some medications reduce deep or REM (restorative) sleep, which can harm sleep quality over time, even if they help you fall asleep. This is why specialists increasingly prioritise non-medication approaches, such as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia and other methods that support the body’s natural sleep regulation.

— Melatonin pills have become increasingly popular. Is it safe to take them regularly, and can using them incorrectly actually worsen or prolong insomnia?

— Melatonin is often seen as harmless, but it isn’t a sleeping pill — it is a signal that helps regulate the body’s internal clock. When used correctly, in low doses and at the right time, it can be helpful for issues such as jet lag or delayed sleep patterns.

Problems arise when melatonin is taken in high doses or at the wrong time. This can disrupt the brain’s natural rhythm and, in some cases, make insomnia worse rather than better. It may also increase night-time awakenings or cause vivid dreams.

That is why guidance matters. Good sleep isn’t just about feeling drowsy — it is about restoring the body’s natural timing and balance through thoughtful, well-informed approaches rather than relying on sleep aids alone.

— Why can insomnia feel severe even when sleep studies look “normal”?

— There is an important distinction between subjective and objective insomnia. Subjective insomnia refers to how a person experiences their sleep — they may feel as though they barely slept, took hours to fall asleep, or were awake for most of the night.

Objective insomnia, on the other hand, is what we measure using clinical tools such as polysomnography or sleep-related brain mapping. These allow us to assess sleep stages, time taken to fall asleep, nighttime awakenings, and total sleep time.

Interestingly, these two don’t always align. Some people experience what is known as paradoxical insomnia, or sleep-state misperception, where objective sleep appears relatively intact, yet the subjective experience is one of severe sleeplessness. This mismatch is clinically important, as it reflects heightened brain arousal and altered sleep perception — patterns that tend to respond better to cognitive behavioural therapy and neurocognitive interventions than to medication.