Insomnia is not a disease, it is the body’s sign that something is out of balance. It is an occasional problem for as many as 25% of people and a chronic problem for about 10% of the population. Everyone has sleepless nights occasionally, and it is nothing to worry about; however, there are some people who have chronic insomnia where the brain is not getting the rest it needs.

The best measure of the amount of sleep needed is how the individual feels. If you awaken feeling refreshed, you are getting enough sleep.
In our opinion the use of sedatives as a treatment for insomnia only creates the illusion that a sleep problem is getting better. They mask the underlying cause. Strong tranquilizers, available by prescription, often do not produce a natural, restful sleep. As a result, increased dependency on the drug results and the user may need to keep taking larger and larger doses. The more drugs are used, the more side effects and tolerance develop. Upon discontinuation of these tranquilizers, rebound worsening of insomnia is very common.
Most newborn babies wake several times during the night, but by the age of 6 months they typically sleep through the night. At one year, babies will sleep an average of about 16 hours in every 24. Two to three hours of this sleep will be during the day.

A snack before bedtime helps many people.

An amino acid L-tryptophan if taken before going to bed can help shorten the time it takes to fall asleep.

Also consider supplementing with EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids) as these are very often deficient in the diet – in times past we may have been able to get EFA’s from oily fish and from eating seeds but nowadays this is not possible. Supplementation with both parent Omega 3 and parent Omega 6 can help many health conditions as the body needs these substances in order to create amino acids and other vital bodily substances.