# Insomnia in people with cancer

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/insomnia-in-cancer/  
OnCo record `insomnia-in-cancer` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Insomnia is trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep that leaves you distressed or struggling during the day. It is about three times as common in people with cancer as in other people, and a talking treatment called CBT-I is the first thing to try.

## Summary

The ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline (2023) defines insomnia as difficulties falling asleep and/or maintaining sleep that cause distress and have a negative impact on daily functioning; persistent insomnia means sleep difficulty on at least 3 nights a week for at least 3 months despite adequate opportunity for sleep. It is estimated at 6% to 10% in the general population and three times greater in people with cancer and survivors, is often under-recognised and inadequately treated, and the guideline recommends treating it during active treatment, in long-term survivors and in palliative care, with cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia as first-line therapy in line with international guidelines.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-11-11
- Also known as: Insomnia; Sleeplessness; Sleep problems in cancer; Chronic insomnia
- Tags: supportive-care-gaps-2026-11

## Sources

- Grassi et al., Insomnia in adult patients with cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline (ESMO Open 2023): https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC10774975

## Connected records

- technologies: [Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)](https://onco.cc/technologies/cbt-insomnia-cancer/), [Sleep after cancer: how common insomnia is, how long it lasts, and the treatment that works](https://onco.cc/technologies/rejuv-mind-sleep-after-cancer/), [Sleep and circadian interventions in cancer](https://onco.cc/technologies/sleep-circadian-interventions/)
- terms: [Late effects and survivorship toxicity](https://onco.cc/terms/late-effects/)

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