Insomnia is an extremely common disorder. The prevalence of insomnia in a study depends on the criteria's selected for determining the prevalence. It is well known that several factors like gender, age, psychiatric disorders among several others are risk factors for insomnia. The stress of modern urban life adds to the factors responsible for an increase in the prevalence. In addition several co-morbid factors can have a significant effect on the prevalence of insomnia. However,what is important is the effect insomnia has on the quality of life of the individual, its social implications like increased loss of work days, accidents, family disorders and the economic impact of this rather common disorder. This review summarizes the burden of this problem in the Indian context.