ABSTRACT
Insomnia may be defined as 'a chronic inability to obtain adequate sleep due to retarded sleep onset, frequent arousals, and/or early morning awakening'. Three principal categories of insomnia are implied in the above definition: Difficulty falling asleep initially (sleep-onset insomnia; initial insomnia; early insomnia; predormital insomnia). Interrupted sleep/frequent awakenings during the night (middle insomnia; restless sleep). Awakening early in the morning with an inability to return to sleep (late insomnia; terminal insomnia). Approaches to the treatment of insomnia have been derived from both the hyperarousal and the stimulus-control theories. The hyperarousal theory suggests that techniques such as relaxation training would be beneficial, and there is a good deal of research supporting the effectiveness of this approach with insomnia. There is also a growing literature on the use of a cognitive approach referred to as paradoxical intention, in which the person is instructed to try to stay awake. In general, each of these treatments has some supportive evidence for its effectiveness.
