Almost everyone suffers from insomnia at some point in their lives.  Most people either suffer from it or turn to medication to resolve it.  While I am a strong believer that medication can and may be necessary to help people sleep, I think many people are developing a long term dependency on these medications.

The NY Times recently printed an article on research on behavioral interventions for insomnia.  They come down to:

1. Don’t go to bed until you are sleep
2. Don’t stay in bed if you are not sleeping
3. Get up the same time every day.

I would also add watch that caffeine intake.  It astounds me how many people I work with that have sleep issues that also consume massive amounts of caffeine every day.

Of course with any behavioral method results will be slower than if you take a pill, but this method comes down to not spending any time in bed that you are not sleeping.  I find many people criticize such efforts without trying them first.

What is your insomnia story?  Let me know in comments below.