ABSTRACT
Complementary Therapies in Neurology: An Evidence-Based Approach Edited by Barry S.Oken ISBN 1-84214-200-3 Copyright © 2004 by The Parthenon Publishing Group, London
Insomnia is a persistent condition of unsatisfactory quantity and/or quality of sleep including difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. About one-third of the general population suffers from sleep problems; with increasing age, this figure increases1. Many insomniacs self-medicate hypnotic drugs which can lead to a host of problems including adverse effects or dependency. According to a Harvard survey2, insomnia is among the most frequent reasons for people to try complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Relaxation therapies and herbal medicines are the most popular CAM therapies for this condition2. In this chapter, the evidence is reviwed from controlled clinical trials testing the effectiveness/efficacy of CAM modalities as a treatment for insomnia.
