Insomnia therapy: What works, what doesn't?

The most successful treatment, according to a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association in May, is a combination of cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia and medication, but the long-term outcome is improved when medication is discontinued during treatment. Perlis says eight weeks of therapy shows benefits.

Medication, whether an over- the- counter aid (antihistamines) or prescription hypnotics (Ambien, Lunesta), can have side effects, according to a 2005 study by independent panels of health professionals for the National Institutes of Health.

For people with brief bouts of restlessness, Shives suggest:

•Listen to audiobooks or classical music in the dark.

•Read using one of the little book lights so you don't have light shining on you.

•Do not check e-mail or play video games because lights signal the brain to wake up, she says.

The second you start to stress out? Shives says get out of bed.

"What we think happens with chronic insomnia is people start a negative association with their own bed and bedroom," she says. "It becomes the bed of thorns or the land of trouble.

"If I start to walk by my bedroom, I start to yawn. It is a sleepy-time haven for me."