Introduction
People with insomnia have trouble falling asleep, or they are awake throughout the night and struggle to fall back asleep. These disturbances typically happen at least three times a week. Insomnia can be acute or chronic. Acute insomnia is known to last less than a month, whereas chronic insomnia can last over a month. Insomnia can affect both the quantity and quality of sleep and makes it hard for individuals to reach their restorative levels of sleep, and causes daytime sleepiness and fatigue and, over time, feelings of irritability, anxiety, and depression. This often leads to professional and personal problems and creates day-to-day challenges like falling asleep while driving.
What Causes Insomnia?
Although insomnia can happen without an underlying cause, it also accompanies and worsens other problems like pulmonary diseases, psychiatric conditions, and a variety of other conditions. Insomnia is also a common side effect of stimulants like caffeine as well as depressants like alcohol, which can disrupt the regular sleep cycle. Insomnia can also result from daily stresses from work or relationships and other environmental factors such as having to work on a night shift or having a newborn baby.
Can Insomnia Be Genetic?
Research suggests that a person can be genetically predisposed to insomnia. They might not be destined to experience insomnia because of their genes, but rather, there are certain genes that may increase the risk. It is estimated that heritability accounts for 31 percent to 58 percent of the likelihood of experiencing insomnia. Only insomnia does not have a genetic component, but other genes can also affect the pattern of a person’s sleep. These genes also influence the chronotype of a person’s sleep cycle.
What Is Genetic Testing for Insomnia?
Currently, genetic testing of sleep traits is present in research studies. Generally, doctors and sleep specialists do not conduct any genetic testing for insomnia in a clinical setting. Instead, they diagnose the patients with insomnia according to a specific set of criteria outlined in the international classification of sleep disorders. People who are interested in genetic testing related to sleep can participate in a research study or access it through consumer companies that offer deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing.
How Is Insomnia Related to Genes?
Genetic markers of insomnia were first identified in fruit flies by researchers. After that, they began testing in humans, which resulted in a large number of genetic markers seen in humans as well. Studies of insomnia in twins, families, and large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have found multiple genes connected to insomnia. A genome refers to an individual’s unique combination of genes. The genes that cause insomnia are tied to the same processes that regulate an individual’s sleep-wake cycle and whether they feel awake and alert or sleepy and relaxed. These genes may also affect hormones and neurotransmitters involved in the circadian rhythm (an internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats every 24 hours), such as adenosine, serotonin, GABA, and hypocretin. Some of the examples of genetic association with insomnia conducted by GWAS are as follows:
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Women are more likely to experience insomnia than men, and their genes are partly to blame, as study results of twins showed that women have a higher heritability of insomnia compared to men.
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The same gene that is associated with other conditions like anxiety, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, restless leg syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc., can also predispose the person to insomnia.
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Stress and insomnia can go hand in hand, and the genetic markers of insomnia present in people may make them more vulnerable to the effects of stress.
What Is Fatal Familial Insomnia?
Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a type of rare genetic degenerative brain disorder characterized by an inability to sleep (insomnia). It can be initially mild but may worsen as it progresses and lead to significant physical and mental deterioration. Affected individuals can develop dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary or automatic body processes.
Fatal familial insomnia is caused due to an abnormal variant in the prion-related protein (PRNP) gene, but this disorder can also occur randomly without any variant in the PRNP gene. The PRNP gene is responsible for regulating the production of the human prion protein. Any alterations in this gene can lead to the generation of the abnormally-shaped (misfolded) prion protein, which is toxic to the body. In FFI, the abnormal prions mainly build up within the brain's thalamus and lead to the progressive loss of neurons (nerve cells). Currently, there is no cure available for fatal familial insomnia, but research studies are ongoing.
How to Determine if Genes Cause Insomnia?
The only way to determine if the cause of insomnia in a person is genetic is by undergoing genetic testing. People can also get it done through consumer DNA companies. A person can also ask their family members if they have or have ever had insomnia and also co-relate the pattern of their insomnia. This can rule out the genetic possibility of insomnia, but a diagnosis performed by a healthcare professional will be more beneficial as it helps to rule out other sleeping disorders.
How to Manage Insomnia?
Identifying the cause of insomnia is the first step, which can help determine the line of treatment. This condition can be managed by the following methods-
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By preparing a calm and relaxing bedtime. A person can take a bath, read a book, meditate or listen to calming music before sleeping.
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Tobacco, alcohol, smoking, and caffeine should be avoided before sleeping.
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Exercise also plays a crucial role in maintaining a good sleep cycle.
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If the condition does not resolve by modifying lifestyle habits, a person can consult a physician who can help them manage their condition; some patients can also be prescribed medications for the same.
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A person should always try to avoid negative thinking or overthinking about situations at bedtime and maintain a proper sleep-wake cycle.
Conclusion
Apart from genes, there are other behavioral and environmental factors responsible for insomnia that can be treated according to its type. It can be concluded that genetics can be a responsible factor in insomnia, but it does not account for a higher degree. Whether or not a person’s insomnia has a genetic component, the method to treat it is the same as other causes.
