It’s 2 am. Out of frustration once again you have decided to finally give into your demons, turn on the light, and pick up a book. You’re tired of the late night infomercials, and working on the computer just isn’t going to happen tonight. You know the drill. You go to bed hoping tonight will be the rare night of sleep-filled ecstasy that leaves you bursting with energy the next day. Instead here you are again irritated, exhausted, and unfortunately awake.

First, you must realize you are not alone. Insomnia affects many people at some point of their life; and chronic longstanding insomnia affects 60 million people in the U.S. alone, or roughly 12 percent of the population. Is there any wonder sleep medications are so popular? Contrary to our quick-fix society of healthcare where a pill is often the remedy, long term treatment of insomnia is rarely an attractive mode of treatment. However, time and time again, medications are simply not effective in the long run for insomnia and often cause more harm than good. If you chose to pick up this book instead of popping a pill, you made a wise choice in trying to manage your insomnia.

In this book, several areas will be covered. It is important to define what insomnia is and what it is not. Some forms of insomnia are“normal,” whereas many forms are the result of aberrations on normal sleep patterns. Some individuals believe they have insomnia when they actually have other sleep disorders mimicking insomnia. By defining insomnia, mechanisms that highlight underlying causes can then be identified which can lead to more effective treatments. Much has been learned about the nervous system and sleep in the last few decades, and this information has shed significant light on causation and providing good directions for treatment.

While medications will be discussed in detail, it is important to state up front that medications are poor choices for long term insomnia treatment. Side effects, dependency, and costs are just a few significant reasons why these are not ideal for chronic therapy. Behavioral therapies are actually much more effective and healthier, thus providing safe longterm solutions that work more effectively. Generally, these measures require more patience. But remember, chronic insomnia didn’t develop overnight and therefore its resolution is not likely to be immediate either.

As you read the information in this book, it is important to consider the recommendat