Annelies Basten

What Science Tells Us About Genetics, Sensitivity and Why Sleep Problems Often Run in Families If you've ever searched whether insomnia is hereditary, you're certainly not alone. It's a question I hear regularly, and it's easy to understand why people ask it. Perhaps your mother struggled with sleep for years, your father always described himself as "a bad sleeper," or your grandmother relied on sleeping tablets for much of her adult life. After seeing the same pattern repeated across...

Sleep medication will not restore your natural ability to sleep. It may knock you out. It may sedate you. It may offer temporary relief when things feel unbearable. But it does not address the reason you are not sleeping, and over time it often deepens the problem.

Key Takeaways Anxiety and insomnia are closely linked through the nervous system. The nervous system may remain alert at night, even when the body feels tired. Some people experience racing thoughts, while others lie awake without thoughts at all. Both experiences reflect a nervous system that has not yet settled into sleep. Sleep cannot be forced; it becomes accessible when the body feels safe enough to let go. Restoring nervous system regulation supports the return of natural sleep. Many...