Everyone has the occasional bad night’s sleep, but when could persistent tossing and turning in bed point to something more serious like insomnia? We spoke to Jason Ellis, professor in psychology at Northumbria University and director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, who highlighted some key warning signs to look out for and suggested some factors that might be causing these issues. What is insomnia? “The most general definition of insomnia is problems getting off to sleep, staying asleep or waking up too early in the morning that exists despite having adequate opportunity for sleep,” explains Ellis. “The clinical definition goes a little bit further in terms of quantification, and says that this should happen at least three nights a week for at least three months in order to be classified as chronic insomnia.” What causes insomnia? “Insomnia in those first two weeks is a response to a stressor,” explains Ellis. “That could be an illness – a physical illness or a psychological illness – or a general life event, such as loss of …