Forty-eight percent of us will experience a bout of insomnia this year, and women are more likely to be affected than men. Researchers are discovering that insomnia is a risk factor for other serious maladies, including heart disease and depression. It often appears as a side effect of a different problem — pain from a medical complaint or a stressful life-changing event, such as a breakup or the loss of a job. But it can linger after the primary difficulty has been resolved. As a result, experts say that if you find yourself suffering from acute insomnia — a week or two of very poor sleep quality — you need help. "For a lot of people, insomnia takes on a life of its own," says Wilfred Pigeon, Ph.D., a sleep specialist at the University of Rochester. "The longer someone has insomnia, the more intractable it becomes." Why? Because when you spend night after night lying awake, you start to anticipate not falling asleep, and you develop habits and associations that prolong the problem. For the best remedies and tactics to curb your insomnia...view source.

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