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It’s defined as the inability to get to sleep or remain asleep, and is often attributed to psychological reasons, such as stress.
But new research has found it could actually be due to genetics instead.
In a study, published in the journal Nature Genetics, researchers have found - for the first time - that there are seven risk genes for insomnia.
It had previously been thought that the sleep condition could be because of stress, anxiety or depression.
The study's authors have discovered that it’s not a purely psychological condition.
Or, according to the NHS, due to noise, uncomfortable sleeping conditions, alcohol and recreational drugs, jet lag or shift work.
However, the study's authors have discovered that it’s not a purely psychological condition.
This new knowledge brings scientists a step closer to finding out what the biological mechanisms are that cause insomnia.
Professor Eus Van Someren, of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, said: “As compared to the severity, prevalence and risks of insomnia, only few studies targeted its causes. Insomnia
is all too often dismissed as being 'all in your head'.
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“Our research brings a new perspective. Insomnia is also in the genes."
After looking at 113,006 individuals, they found particular genes that predisposes people to insomnia.
One of the genes has previously been linked to two other sleep disorders - Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep (PLMS) and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).
However, PLMS and RLS are associated with restless movement and sensation, whereas insomnia is more a restless stream of consciousness.
Interestingly, they also found a genetic overlap with anxiety disorders, depression and neuroticism, and low subjective wellbeing.
Anke Hammerschlag, a neuroscientist and first author of the study, said: “This is an interesting finding, because these characteristics tend to go hand in hand with insomnia.
“We now know that this is partly due to the shared genetic basis.”
Professor Danielle Posthuma, of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, said: “We also found a difference between men and women in terms of prevalence: in the sample we studied, including mainly
people older than fifty years, 33 per cent of the women reported to suffer from insomnia. For men this was 24 per cent.”
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