Are you the type of person who struggles a lot with sleep, or nods off effortlessly regardless of the circumstances?

It turns out your sleeping patterns may lie in your genetic makeup. Research studies have leaned on yes: sleep may be in our genes. If you constantly struggle nodding off to sleep, chances are your parents or grandparents probably did, too.

Of course, external and environmental challenges, as well as changes in life events, can cause sleep issues. But if you are having a chronic and complicated relationship with sleep, maybe genetics plays a role.

Which Sleep Disorders are Hereditary?

Many or most sleeping problems aren’t hereditary, so before blaming your parents make sure to first address the root of the problem. Some sleeping problems, however, certainly can be genetic.

Insomnia affecting 10% to 20% of people worldwide is quite common. Studies suggest one-third of the risk of insomnia is inherited. A study from the Journal of Molecular Psychiatry, led by Murray Stein of the University of California San Diego and the VA San Diego Healthcare System confirms insomnia has a partially heritable basis.

Researchers identified specific genes that trigger the development of issues, demonstrating a strong relationship between sleep and one’s mental and physical health.

Also, there is an observed hereditary tie between sleeplessness and major depression, particularly among participants of European descent. Some sleep disorders that are found to be hereditary include fatal familial insomnia, chronic primary insomnia, familial advanced sleep-phase syndrome, and narcolepsy with cataplexy.

"Insomnia has a really significant impact on millions of people worldwide. However, we’ve long known there's a link between insomnia and chronic disease,” according to Samuel Jones, a research fellow at the University of Exeter, UK. “Our findings suggest that depression and heart disease are actually a result of persistent insomnia.”