Our aim is to explore the best way of offering a range of effective treatments for insomnia in primary care settings. We are aware, however, that sleeping tablets have dominated treatment in this area for over thirty years. Insomnia is age dependent. The older we get, the higher the risk of developing a sleeping problem. Apart from its age dependency, insomnia can be caused by, or made worse by, a whole variety of factors ranging from physical illness to occupational stress.
People are very different and their sleeping patterns are different too.
Some of us need less, some need more, again depending largely on our age. Society fits us into a pattern of when to sleep and when to be awake, and it doesn't suit everyone. Just like the night shift doesn't suit everyone either. Somebody who regularly wakes after only five hours sleep doesn't have a sleeping problem, they have a waking problem. They may only need five hours a night, but we are made to believe that this is bad for us.