Insomnia is often a symptom of another condition rather than a condition of its own. If insomnia is caused by medical or psychological conditions, treatment for insomnia will focus on those other conditions. When poor sleep quality itself is the major problem, medicines can be prescribed short-term to relieve symptoms.

There is increasing support for therapies that involve modifying behavior and lifestyle. These two approaches-medicine and behavior therapies-may be used together, with medicine helping to provide a good night's sleep in the short term and behavior therapy helping you develop long-lasting changes in approaches to sleep.

• Work with your doctor to try first to find out whether another condition-such as depression, anxiety, pain, use of stimulants or medicines, inactivity, or poor sleep habits-is causing your insomnia, and then to treat that cause.
• You may be able to treat your insomnia with minor lifestyle changes, such as changing your sleep environment or schedule, increasing your activity level, or changing what and when you eat and drink.
• Sleep-inducing medicines can be used if other types of treatment don't work. But medicine should only be used intermittently, and it is not considered the first treatment of choice for long-term insomnia.

  Should I take sleeping pills for insomnia?

Behavior therapy

Getting ready for bed means more than turning down the sheets. Sleep therapists know that there are many factors involved in a person's ability to sleep well. Here are examples of therapies that help you develop habits and beliefs that will promote good sleep quality.

• Relaxation therapy may be successful for people with poor sleep habits who lie in bed with their minds racing. This therapy teaches progressive muscle relaxation, in which different muscle groups are tensed and relaxed, as well as attention-focusing techniques such as meditation, which can help stop sleep-disturbing habits.
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps you to recognize certain beliefs you hold about yourself and sleep, to change those beliefs that may contribute to unhealthy patterns, and to introduce positive behaviors that will help you create an inviting environment for sleep. Studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy's effect on people with insomnia have shown good, lasting results in reducing interrupted sleep.⁸
• Sleep hygiene measures are simple actions that address sleep habits and factors that may keep you from good sleep. For example, keep regular bedtimes and wake times-7 days a week-and try to avoid taking naps during the day. For more information, see:

  How to set up a healthy sleep environment.

• Stimulus-control therapy reestablishes the bed as a place for sleeping and sex only-not for sleeplessness. For example, if you can't fall asleep in 15 minutes, you get out of bed and do something quiet and relaxing until you are sleepy again.
• Sleep-restriction therapy limits the time spent in bed to time spent sleeping.