I experienced chronic insomnia for over a year and definitely felt the impact it had on my physical and mental health. Two interesting things that I learn about insomnia from my experience:
1. I thought I could "will" myself to overcome my insomnia, but realized quickly that for chronic insomnia (defined loosely as at least 3 nights a week for 3 months or more), symptoms typically worsens over time and becomes harder to resolve if left untreated.
2. People who suffer from insomnia are often painfully unaware of how disruptive it is to their everyday lives. I thought I was doing OK, but turned out that I've gotten so used to getting poor sleep that I have forgotten what life was like before. People who are sleep-deprived consistently underestimate how sleep-deprived they are.