Research shows that approximately 15% of all adults consider themselves to be chronic insomniacs, and 50% of the population find it difficult to fall or stay asleep at some point during any given year. We may spend 1/3 of our lives in bed, but what percentage of that time is actually devoted to replenishing our bodies and minds with the kind of restful, rejuvenating sleep that we need for optimal health?

Chronic insomnia is defined medically, as poor sleep quality 3 or more nights per week, that has been present for one month or longer and diminishes the quality of daytime activities. Sleep problems tend to be more prevalent among women and the elderly, and are often considered (wrongly) to be just another characteristic of the aging process.

Sleeping well is a necessary component of healthy living. Adaquate sleep is essential for animals and human beings to regulate body temperature, insure proper brain-wave activity and hormone production, insure proper cell regeneration and all the other activities linked to the daily biological, cycle. Insomnia is often linked to phyical pain, mood disorders and psychoses, and in severe cases, it can contribute to suicidal thoughts and impulses. Sleep problems may be symptomatic of medical conditions such as RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome), Sleep Apnea or other breathing-obstructive conditions, so please see a doctor first to determine if your insomnia has a purely medical cause. If you are regularly taking one or more prescription medications for other conditions, check with your physician also to determine if these may be interfering with your ability to sleep soundly.

Although many people choose to treat their insomnia with over the counter or prescription medications, there are natural, behavioral ways to improve the quality of your sleep that are less expensive, more healthy, and available to everyone. Sleep researchers agree that maintaining the following routines are extremely helpful in optimizing the quality of your sleep:

· Establish regular sleep habits, especially in regard to your rising time. Try waking up and going to bed at the same time each night for at least six weeks.

· To strengthen your natural circadian rhythms, make sure you obtain sufficient sunlight during the day, particularly in the first hour after you rise in the morning.

· If you cannot fall asleep within approximately ten to fifteen minutes, get out of bed, go into another room, and do something relaxing. If you return to bed and still cannot fall asleep, get up and repeat this process as many times as necessary. Lying in bed awake for too long only worsens insomnia. It is important to disassociate yourself from feeling frustrated in bed about your inability to fall asleep or anything else. Worry about your problems in another room and make your bed your stress-free sanctuary.

· Do not watch the clock during the night. Set the alarm, then turn the clock away from you so that you cannot see it.

· Do not read or watch TV in bed during the daytime. Start creating a mind/body association between your bed and only 2 activities—sleeping and romance!

· Make your bedroom and bed as quiet, comfortable and restful as possible. Many people don’t realize how uncomfortable their bed is until they get the opportunity to sleep on a comfortable bed! Perhaps an air bed, that can be adjusted to your preferred firmness level or a memory foam or latex mattress that reduces pressure points is the solution to your problems. Visit a showroom and try out a variety of different mattresses.

· Avoid caffeine and stimulants later than early afternoon. Avoid alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime, and nicotine and large meals within 2 hours of bedtime.

· Exercise during the day, but do not exercise later than 2 hours before bedtime.

· Try winding down and relaxing at least one hour before bedtime. Incorporate deep breathing, imagery or other relaxation techniques into your bedtime rituals.

Sleep restriction therapy is another technique that has proven to improve the sleeping pattern of most insomniacs. This involves restricting the time in bed to only the time that is spent actually sleeping. Begin by recording one week of your sleeping experiences in a diary. Total up the number of hours you have actually slept in a given night and divide that by seven to figure out your nightly sleep average. For the next week, limit your time in bed to only that many hours per night. If you are able to spend at least 85% of that time asleep, than add another 15 minutes to your time in bed during the third week of your experiment. If wake time increases, than decrease your nightly time in bed by 15 minutes each night in the following week. You may find yourself feeling sleepy during the daytime for the first week or two of this trial, but most patients in sleep therapy experiments have reported that this technique results in deeper and more consistent sleep after a few weeks.