Why can't Anna Sleep?

TGIF! There's a very interesting personal narrative at BBC News today about one woman's life-long struggle with insomnia. According to the article, Anna Musgrave experimented with many sleep inducing methods, but I can't see any evidence that she ever visited a board certified sleep physician. Perhaps the most recurring theme of this SleepScience blog is that there is help available from professionals who are specially trained and qualified to treat sleep disorders. All the hypnosis in the world is useless if there are physiological origins to insomnia. Over-the-counter sleep remedies usually just complicate the problem. The best way to treat insomnia is a professionally prescribed program which may include sleep logs, behavioral modification/therapy and an investigation of possible intrensic causes. In other news today, "Dear Abby" takes on the issue of sleep deprivation due to one teen's overuse of cell phones, and there's more about the looming marketing battle between sleeping pill makers on today's AP wire. Have a great weekend! -Shawn