Even a 12-minute nap can boost some forms of memory, adds Dr. Robert Stickgold of Harvard Medical School.

Are you one of the many Americans plagued with insomnia?
You’re not alone. According to an article published in the April 2007 issue of About.Com: Longevity, between 30 to 40 percent of adults report some difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and 10 to 15 percent of report some form of long-term, chronic insomnia.
Researchers attribute insomnia […]

Insomnia is one of the most common disorders. The 2005 Sleep in America Poll of the National Sleep Foundation showed 54 percent of respondents had experienced at least one symptom of insomnia at least a few nights a week in the past year. While the vast majority of those polled said they never use sleep aids, 11 percent reported using alcohol, beer or wine; 9 percent, over-the-counter sleep aids; 7 percent, prescription medications; 3 percent, an eye mask or earplugs, and 2 percent, melatonin.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, more than 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders. This week, the sleep industry’s biggest convention of the year drew some 5,400 medical experts and sales reps to Minneapolis. That’s about 10 times the number who came in 1990, when the city last hosted the event.

…using recent research that shows people need seven cycles of sleep for the best rest, the maker of the Sleep Number bed is investigating new products that would help regulate those rhythms with natural sleep aids like lighting control and watches that calculate a body’s high and low points during the day…

The FDA acknowledges those side affects are quite rare. So what alternatives are available if you don’t want to turn to prescriptions?

Persistent sleep disturbances add to the fatigue they hope to overcome. Doctors don’t know why as many as 66 percent of cancer survivors experience sleep problems in the year following cancer treatment. Despite the use of sleep aids and antidepressants, survivors continue to report fatigue and depression.

Sufficient evidence does not exist to support over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids as an effective treatment for insomnia… There is limited scientific evidence to show that herbal supplements are effective sleep aids.

Sleep needs change over a person’s lifetime. However, older adults need about the same amount of sleep as younger adults — seven to nine hours of sleep per night.

One answer is cognitive behavioral therapy, which has been shown to treat chronic insomnia better than a prescription drug.