Insomnia Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, or awakening too early. It can have a variety of causes including depression, stress, anxiety, drug or alcohol use, illness, pain, and poor sleep habits. Insomnia affects about a third of adult Americans. Insomnia can be treated with education and counseling on good sleep habits. Though sleeping pills can be useful in treating some types of insomnia such as jet lag, they are not appropriate treatment for chronic insomnia and in some cases their use can even be dangerous.
Every person has an internal schedule that influences many of the body's activities.
This schedule, known as the circadian rhythm, strongly influences the individual's sleep-wake cycle. Some types of sleep disorders arise from a conflict between the individual's circadian rhythm and society's set timetables. Shift workers also often struggle with sleep schedules that are at odds with the majority, and anyone can experience the sleep disturbance and daytime fatigue of jet lag. One treatment for circadian rhythm disturbances is light therapy. Exposure to bright light at appropriate times can shift the patient's sleep schedule to the desired portion of the day.