Is Insomnia Genetic? Why Sleep Problems Run in Families

Quick answer: Insomnia can be partly genetic, meaning you can inherit genes that increase your risk of sleep problems. Having a parent with insomnia does not guarantee you will develop it, because stress, health conditions, and sleep habits also contribute.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, or fall back asleep after waking too early, even when you have enough time to rest. It can affect your energy, mood, and concentration the next day. About 30% to 35% of adults experience brief symptoms of insomnia, while about 10% have chronic insomnia. (1)

Stress, health conditions, and sleep habits can all contribute to insomnia, but genes may also play a role. For people whose parents or siblings struggle with sleep, this raises a familiar question: can insomnia be inherited?

Can you inherit insomnia from your parents?

You can inherit a tendency toward insomnia through many genetic differences that contribute to your risk. Common insomnia does not follow a simple pattern in which a single gene passed down from a parent causes the condition.

Genes are segments of DNA inherited from your parents that carry information about how your body works. Many provide instructions for making proteins, while others help regulate gene function. (2) Differences in this inherited information can influence traits such as sleep timing.

Family members may share sleep traits influenced by genes, such as when they naturally feel sleepy and how easily stress disrupts their sleep.

Relatives also share routines and environments, so noise at home, irregular schedules, or stressful events can disrupt several people's sleep. These shared conditions can contribute to a family pattern of insomnia alongside inherited risk.

What does research show about insomnia and genetics?

Researchers study twins and compare DNA across large populations to understand why insomnia runs in families.

• Twin studies: Insomnia tends to be more similar among identical twins, who share almost all their genes, than among nonidentical twins. A review of these studies found that genes help explain why some people are more likely to have insomnia than others. (3)

• DNA studies: A 2022 study of more than 2.3 million people identified 554 regions of DNA linked to insomnia risk. A region can contain several genes, and researchers are still studying which genetic differences affect sleep and how they influence it. (4)

The twin-study review estimated insomnia's heritability at about 40%. This means that genetic differences explained roughly 40% of the variation in insomnia among the people studied. It does not mean that you have a 40% chance of developing insomnia or that genes account for 40% of your own sleep difficulty.

Also Read: Why Do Women Need More Sleep Than Men?

How can inherited traits affect your sleep?

Genes influence when you naturally feel sleepy and how easily stress keeps you awake.

Your sleep-wake cycle

Your sleep-wake cycle, or daily pattern of sleeping and being awake, is guided in part by your internal body clock. This clock follows a roughly 24-hour cycle called your circadian rhythm, and light and darkness help keep it in sync with your surroundings.

Genes influence your chronotype, the preference for earlier or later sleep times, often described as being an early bird or a night owl. A genetic study of nearly 700,000 people found hundreds of DNA regions linked to these sleep preferences. (5)

Being a night owl does not mean you have insomnia, though a late body clock can make an early work schedule difficult. You may struggle to fall asleep early enough to get the rest you need before your alarm goes off.

How easily stress disrupts your sleep

Some people sleep reasonably well during stressful periods, while others lie awake for hours before an exam, after an argument, or while worrying about work.

Researchers call this sensitivity to stress sleep reactivity, and twin studies suggest it is partly inherited. People whose sleep is more easily disturbed by stress are also more likely to develop insomnia. (6)

For example, someone whose sleep is sensitive to stress may start lying awake during a demanding period at work. They might then go to bed earlier, nap longer during the day, or spend hours worrying about whether they will sleep that night.

Those changes can make sleep difficult even after the work pressure eases. An inherited tendency, a stressful event, and habits that develop in response can all contribute to the same sleep problem.

Will you develop insomnia if a parent has it?

Having a parent with insomnia does not mean you will develop it, because family history is just one of several risk factors. Other influences on your sleep include:

• Stress, such as work pressure, financial worries, or a major life change.

• An irregular schedule, including shift work or frequent bedtime changes.

• Caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol, which can disrupt sleep.

• Health conditions or medications that make sleep difficult.

• Your surroundings, such as a noisy bedroom or excessive light at night.

Although several relatives may struggle with sleep, they may have different conditions: one may have insomnia, while another has sleep apnea or a later body clock. 

Also Read: 5 Signs You Have Broken Sleep—And How to Fix It Naturally

Can a genetic test tell you if you will get insomnia?

Some consumer DNA reports estimate your risk of insomnia, but they cannot definitively tell you whether you will develop it or diagnose the condition. Family history can also suggest an inherited risk without establishing the cause of your current sleep problems.

Doctors usually assess insomnia by reviewing your sleep symptoms, medical history, and daily routine rather than ordering a genetic test. They may ask you to keep a sleep diary that records when you sleep, how often you wake, and how you feel during the day.

At your appointment, mention any family history of sleep problems, along with your symptoms, how long they have lasted, and how they affect your daily activities.[^6]

What helps if insomnia runs in your family?

Insomnia can be treated even when it runs in your family, with care focused on your sleep difficulties and on any habits or health conditions that contribute to them.

A recommended treatment for chronic insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), which helps reduce sleep-related worry and change habits that keep you awake. Your treatment plan may include a structured sleep schedule, relaxation exercises, and changes to help you associate your bed with sleep.

For example, a therapist can help you work through worry about another sleepless night and reduce the time you spend lying awake in bed. CBT-I may involve going to bed when you feel sleepy and getting out of bed when you cannot sleep, as part of an individualized treatment plan.

You can also support your sleep by:

• Keeping a consistent wake-up time, even on days off.

• Keeping your bedroom quiet, dark, and comfortably cool.

• Avoiding caffeine close to bedtime and avoiding alcohol as a sleep aid.

• Allowing time to wind down before bed.

If poor sleep continues to affect your energy, concentration, mood, or daily activities, talk with a healthcare provider, because sleep habits alone may not resolve chronic insomnia. You can seek help before symptoms have persisted for months.

Is inherited insomnia the same as fatal familial insomnia?

No, common insomnia is different from fatal familial insomnia, a very rare inherited brain disease caused by a change in the PRNP gene. Fatal familial insomnia is part of a group of conditions called prion diseases, which cause progressive brain damage.

Having several relatives who struggle to fall or stay asleep does not, by itself, suggest that this rare disease runs in your family.

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If you have ongoing insomnia or take medicines, discuss supplements with your healthcare provider.

About the author

Dr. Ruchir P. Patel, MD, FACP, is the Medical Director of the Insomnia and Sleep Institute of Arizona and the founder of Sip2Sleep. He is triple board-certified in sleep medicine, obesity medicine, and internal medicine. Dr. Patel is a multi-year Phoenix Magazine Top Doctor and holds the Inspire Excellence designation.

References

1. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2019, May 20). Insomnia awareness day facts and stats. Sleep Education. https://sleepeducation.org/insomnia-awareness-day-facts-stats/

2. National Human Genome Research Institute. (2026, October 10). Gene. National Institutes of Health. https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Gene

3. Barclay, N. L., Kocevska, D., Bramer, W. M., Van Someren, E. J. W., & Gehrman, P. (2021). The heritability of insomnia: A meta-analysis of twin studies. Genes, brain, and behavior, 20(4), e12717. https://doi.org/10.1111/gbb.12717

4. Watanabe, K., Jansen, P. R., Savage, J. E., Nandakumar, P., Wang, X., 23andMe Research Team, Hinds, D. A., Gelernter, J., Levey, D. F., Polimanti, R., Stein, M. B., Van Someren, E. J. W., Smit, A. B., & Posthuma, D. (2022). Genome-wide meta-analysis of insomnia prioritizes genes associated with metabolic and psychiatric pathways. Nature genetics, 54(8), 1125–1132. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-022-01124-w

5. Jones, S. E., Lane, J. M., Wood, A. R., van Hees, V. T., Tyrrell, J., Beaumont, R. N., Jeffries, A. R., Dashti, H. S., Hillsdon, M., Ruth, K. S., Tuke, M. A., Yaghootkar, H., Sharp, S. A., Jie, Y., Thompson, W. D., Harrison, J. W., Dawes, A., Byrne, E. M., Tiemeier, H., Allebrandt, K. V., … Weedon, M. N. (2019). Genome-wide association analyses of chronotype in 697,828 individuals provides insights into circadian rhythms. Nature communications, 10(1), 343. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-08259-7

6. Drake, C. L., Friedman, N. P., Wright, K. P., Jr, & Roth, T. (2011). Sleep reactivity and insomnia: genetic and environmental influences. Sleep, 34(9), 1179–1188. https://doi.org/10.5665/SLEEP.1234