I have had insomnia since I was a teenager and my mother told me that I wasn't a great sleeper as a child either but I don't remember. Like you, I could be up for days at a time and nearly went insane.....actually, it did make me rather crazy!!! It has improved the last year or so, as I'm older now, but I still go through periods of none being able to get to sleep. It's usually associated with anxiety for me.