There are many people in our society who suffer from insomnia from no apparent cause. While the issue of daytime fatigue associated with disordered sleep is well recognized, many other symptoms remain relatively obscure. Some of these symptoms are headaches, muscle tension, irritability, diminished mental performance, etc… Thus, it is not surprising that the most common treatment for insomnia unassociated with sleep apnea is prescribed sleeping pills.

            There has been recent studies performed that demonstrate how insomnia can be treated without prescribed sleep medications. The studies consisted of 75 men and women with sleep maintenance insomnia, a condition characterized by more than 30 minutes of awake time in the middle of the night. The participants did not experience transient sleep problems for longer than 13 years. The people were randomly divided into three six-week interventions, which included cognitive behavior therapy, including sleep education, stimulus control, and time-in-bed restrictions, relaxation training or placebo therapy.

            The researchers monitored the participant’s sleep. The result of the study showed that the people who were in the cognitive behavioral groups received the most sleep.  The study identified two common misconceptions of sleep. The first misconception is the belief that everyone needs 8 hours of sleep a night in order to remain healthy. The second misconception is that the elderly can and should sleep as much as possible. The end result was that reestablishing a healthy sleep-wake cycle requires three steps. The three steps are:

·        Eliminate excessive naps during the day

·        Follow a consistent schedule for going to bed and getting out of bed in the morning.

·        Develop appropriate expectations for the amount of sleep time your body needs.

These are some insights that have been scientifically shown to substantially improve ones sleep.

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