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The Insomnia Answer: A Personalized Program for Identifying and Overcoming the Three Types of Insomnia
The 50 million Americans who suffer from insomnia need - and want - this answer now.There is no "one size fits all" solution to insomnia because, as this revolutionary book illustrates, there are three types that affect those who suffer from difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and broken sleep. And each of them requires a specialized treatment program. Now, leading experts in the evaluation and treatment of insomnia deliver personalized programs that provide relief for solve such persistent sleep problems
Based on cutting-edge knowledge of circadian rhythms developed in research labs for decades, this is the first sleep program that helps readers to self-diagnose and treat their particular type of insomnia.
Based on cutting-edge knowledge of circadian rhythms developed in research labs for decades, this is the first sleep program that helps readers to self-diagnose and treat their particular type of insomnia.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
36 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 18, 2008
This is probably the most comprehensive book I’ve read about insomnia. It recognizes that elusive sleep is often a complicated problem comprised of physiological, psychological and behavioral issues, and that different types of insomnia require different approaches.
The book contains specific plans for dealing with the three main types of insomnia: difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and broken sleep. In the process, the authors strive to educate people about the physiology behind good sleep and how a person can strengthen their natural “sleep drive.” There are many specific practical suggestions for how to do this, such as the best times to take a hot bath or exercise to promote good sleep.
For those who have been struggling against unwanted wakefulness, some of the suggestions they make may seem counter-intuitive. But the rational behind the behavioral changes they recommend is clearly spelled out, making it easier to relinquish some of the maladaptive coping strategies long-term sufferers may have adopted.
The authors point out that psychology is often a large part of the insomnia problem, and they also include techniques from cognitive psychology to address this aspect of the issue. This is a key component since, in the process of trying to improve one’s sleep, things can often get a little worse before they get better. But the authors do a good job of clearly outlining the path, warning readers what to expect, and providing them with tools to combat issues as they arise.
I have just started implementing the changes they recommend, so it’s too soon for me to say how well the program works. So far, however, the changes I’ve made have resulted in slight improvements in my nightly rest, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the long term results are.
The book contains specific plans for dealing with the three main types of insomnia: difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and broken sleep. In the process, the authors strive to educate people about the physiology behind good sleep and how a person can strengthen their natural “sleep drive.” There are many specific practical suggestions for how to do this, such as the best times to take a hot bath or exercise to promote good sleep.
For those who have been struggling against unwanted wakefulness, some of the suggestions they make may seem counter-intuitive. But the rational behind the behavioral changes they recommend is clearly spelled out, making it easier to relinquish some of the maladaptive coping strategies long-term sufferers may have adopted.
The authors point out that psychology is often a large part of the insomnia problem, and they also include techniques from cognitive psychology to address this aspect of the issue. This is a key component since, in the process of trying to improve one’s sleep, things can often get a little worse before they get better. But the authors do a good job of clearly outlining the path, warning readers what to expect, and providing them with tools to combat issues as they arise.
I have just started implementing the changes they recommend, so it’s too soon for me to say how well the program works. So far, however, the changes I’ve made have resulted in slight improvements in my nightly rest, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the long term results are.
November 17, 2014
This book, along with some of the workbook exercises in The Insomnia Workbook were great to help deconstruct some of the psychological baggage and little mental conflicts I'd been having when going to bed. I now lead a lower dosage of Ambien, feel more comfortable using a 'HappyLight' and know which time is most appropriate, know that melatonon isn't just a joke of a vitamin, yada yada yada...
But most importantly there were just some small nuggets of wisdom like, for example, taking a neutral position to what is happening to your sleep deprivation. Mainly, worrying about the future as it will occur without a good night's sleep will only worsen the predicament; instead of being pro-active about your absence of sleep, just remain neutral. Something about going to that place of removed self-evaluation, or of detachment, is vaguely liberating. This maneuver of voluntary removal, or of looking at one's struggle through a little bit of self-concocted distance, is not only empowering but relaxing enough to, perhaps paradoxically, nestle one back to sleep.
There was a lady outside my window screaming at 4:30am a few nights ago. Absolutely bawling, cursing, stomping her feet, the whole nine yards. At first I was angry at her for taking away what would have been a promising night's sleep: I had gone to bed at 10:30 to wake up at 6:30 without a hitch. The sleep hygiene component was aces, and I realized that this night's sleep was, once again, still out of my control. There will always be extenuating circumstances, as hard as I try, that are out there to take that sleep away from me. But I remained detached, and read a very boring book for a bit, re-inserted some ear plugs, listened to my own breathing, and eventually her angry rambling fell away, and I fell back asleep within the hour. I got seven hours instead of eight. I look at this as a victory.
The Insomnia Answer has some good tools, but I only recommend reading the sections that apply to your particular problem. Reading the sections that don't apply to your battle with insomnia might confuse the "do-s" and "don't-s" later, so be careful of having disparate information clanging around in your head (especially with bright light therapy).
Sleep restriction therapy works and is oddly empowering. Exercise also works, but is obviously empowering. Give this book a shot. It may not get you off your hypnotics but it will poise you toward the right direction. It is a good step toward overall wellness.
But most importantly there were just some small nuggets of wisdom like, for example, taking a neutral position to what is happening to your sleep deprivation. Mainly, worrying about the future as it will occur without a good night's sleep will only worsen the predicament; instead of being pro-active about your absence of sleep, just remain neutral. Something about going to that place of removed self-evaluation, or of detachment, is vaguely liberating. This maneuver of voluntary removal, or of looking at one's struggle through a little bit of self-concocted distance, is not only empowering but relaxing enough to, perhaps paradoxically, nestle one back to sleep.
There was a lady outside my window screaming at 4:30am a few nights ago. Absolutely bawling, cursing, stomping her feet, the whole nine yards. At first I was angry at her for taking away what would have been a promising night's sleep: I had gone to bed at 10:30 to wake up at 6:30 without a hitch. The sleep hygiene component was aces, and I realized that this night's sleep was, once again, still out of my control. There will always be extenuating circumstances, as hard as I try, that are out there to take that sleep away from me. But I remained detached, and read a very boring book for a bit, re-inserted some ear plugs, listened to my own breathing, and eventually her angry rambling fell away, and I fell back asleep within the hour. I got seven hours instead of eight. I look at this as a victory.
The Insomnia Answer has some good tools, but I only recommend reading the sections that apply to your particular problem. Reading the sections that don't apply to your battle with insomnia might confuse the "do-s" and "don't-s" later, so be careful of having disparate information clanging around in your head (especially with bright light therapy).
Sleep restriction therapy works and is oddly empowering. Exercise also works, but is obviously empowering. Give this book a shot. It may not get you off your hypnotics but it will poise you toward the right direction. It is a good step toward overall wellness.
February 19, 2024
There are some very good notes on the types and causes of insomnia, with recommendations on approaches that might help with each variant. Some of the ideas aren't approaches I had considered before, and if they help with my insomnia then I'll increase the rating to a 4.
My main complaint is that it, like many books, is heavily padded to increase the page count. It could have been half as long and had just as much value for me.
My main complaint is that it, like many books, is heavily padded to increase the page count. It could have been half as long and had just as much value for me.
January 15, 2019
There’s a lot of info here and I feel like I should re-read, but it gave me lots of practical tools and explained sleep cycles and insomnia in a way I had not heard before. It also just generally made me feel less anxious about my insomnia, which is something money can’t buy.
July 21, 2020
Book has some great ideas on how to regulate sleep. My sleep has sucked since the Coronavirus completely messed up my schedule, and I've gotten great sleep the last few nights with some help from ideas from the book. Check it out if you need some sleep help.
September 25, 2018
Organized well, but not much new in terms of advice
October 12, 2018
Pure gold. It cured me.
October 22, 2018
Not much new here
September 7, 2019
Seems like good information, but like many things that are worth it, it doesn't seem easy.
July 8, 2025
Helpful contents and evidence based
January 9, 2017
Written ‘way back in 2006, The Insomnia Answer contains more practical information on overcoming insomnia than many more recently published books. The authors identify three types of insomnia: difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and irregular or broken sleep. After a few chapters on the physiology of sleep, the psychological factors that influence the quality of sleep, and various patterns of insomnia, advice for easing each type of insomnia is given. Readers participate in a series of questionnaires to identify problems before, during, and between sleep intervals. Then, they work with the suggestions for their specific sleep issues.
The most fascinating part for me, with occasional bouts of waking and not being able to get back to sleep, is that sleep is controlled by two forces, called the sleep drive and the alerting force. The sleep drive acts essentially as the longer one is awake, the more tired s/he gets. But the alerting force is more of a circadian rhythm, a cycle of wakefulness that is unique to each individual. When one’s sleep pattern is skewed from their alerting force, whether due to work schedules or tendency to stay up late even when exhausted, staying asleep becomes more difficult. We fall asleep easily, but wake up and feel alert enough to start working out problems in the middle of the night. Not good, and duly notes.
There are plenty of case histories and examples so that readers can fine-tune their treatment. The guides for relaxation and how to be okay just resting are excellent. A Sleep Log is included. Part of the program is to fill in this log for two weeks to assess one’s insomnia. Then, as one works the program, the Sleep Log will hopefully show improvement in its regularity, total amount of sleep, and fatigue rating the following day. The final chapter assesses the reader’s progress, and gives suggestions for (1) improved sleep and fatigue levels, (2) improved sleep but not fatigue levels, and (3) sleep has not improved. Overall, this is a very complete program.
Anyone who has trouble sleeping, either occasionally or chronically, can benefit by reading this book and working the exercises.
The most fascinating part for me, with occasional bouts of waking and not being able to get back to sleep, is that sleep is controlled by two forces, called the sleep drive and the alerting force. The sleep drive acts essentially as the longer one is awake, the more tired s/he gets. But the alerting force is more of a circadian rhythm, a cycle of wakefulness that is unique to each individual. When one’s sleep pattern is skewed from their alerting force, whether due to work schedules or tendency to stay up late even when exhausted, staying asleep becomes more difficult. We fall asleep easily, but wake up and feel alert enough to start working out problems in the middle of the night. Not good, and duly notes.
There are plenty of case histories and examples so that readers can fine-tune their treatment. The guides for relaxation and how to be okay just resting are excellent. A Sleep Log is included. Part of the program is to fill in this log for two weeks to assess one’s insomnia. Then, as one works the program, the Sleep Log will hopefully show improvement in its regularity, total amount of sleep, and fatigue rating the following day. The final chapter assesses the reader’s progress, and gives suggestions for (1) improved sleep and fatigue levels, (2) improved sleep but not fatigue levels, and (3) sleep has not improved. Overall, this is a very complete program.
Anyone who has trouble sleeping, either occasionally or chronically, can benefit by reading this book and working the exercises.
September 30, 2014
I'm kinda cheating here. I've only read the first half, which is all the stuff before getting into your self-treatment plan. I started reading this just as I started seeing a sleep therapist. The therapist has done wonders and my insomnia is close to gone after two months.
However, the first half of this book definitely played a significant role in improving my sleep and I recommend it to anyone struggling with insomnia. Prior to this, I hadn't done much reading into insomnia beyond a few quick Google searches. Without knowing too many other insomniacs in my life, it was hard to get a gauge of how bad my situation was. I hadn't met anyone else who had had a worse time sleeping than me. That made it seem that I was destined in life to have the worst sleep in the history of the world.
But when I finally got to reading about other insomniacs' experiences through this book, that changed everything. When you read about some dude getting 1-2 hours of sleep per night and then getting up to teach 8th grade math--and then later working his way up to 6-7 hours through this program--you start having some hope. Reading others' experiences helped me get over the initial hurdle. Now I'm getting like 6 hours per night and it's kinda awesome. I recommend the hell out of this.
Also, for what it's worth, I've glanced at the actual treatment program in this book and it seems very similar to what my sleep doctor had mapped out for me. I would imagine it would about as well as my doctor's program.
However, the first half of this book definitely played a significant role in improving my sleep and I recommend it to anyone struggling with insomnia. Prior to this, I hadn't done much reading into insomnia beyond a few quick Google searches. Without knowing too many other insomniacs in my life, it was hard to get a gauge of how bad my situation was. I hadn't met anyone else who had had a worse time sleeping than me. That made it seem that I was destined in life to have the worst sleep in the history of the world.
But when I finally got to reading about other insomniacs' experiences through this book, that changed everything. When you read about some dude getting 1-2 hours of sleep per night and then getting up to teach 8th grade math--and then later working his way up to 6-7 hours through this program--you start having some hope. Reading others' experiences helped me get over the initial hurdle. Now I'm getting like 6 hours per night and it's kinda awesome. I recommend the hell out of this.
Also, for what it's worth, I've glanced at the actual treatment program in this book and it seems very similar to what my sleep doctor had mapped out for me. I would imagine it would about as well as my doctor's program.
April 15, 2021
I'm a professional insomniac, so I'm always on the lookout for ways to become a professional snoozer. Since this book claimed to have "the answer" to insomnia, I gave it a go.
There are three things that I like about this book which makes it different from other books on insomnia that I have read.
1. The authors explain why sleep is so unreliable, how it's supposed to happen, and how to catch that all-important "wave of sleep," which has a lot to do with your individual sleep/wake cycle.
2. The authors cover the three different kinds of insomnia, and offer remedies for each. Do you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking early? I've got all three. So I focused on the tips for fractured sleep.
3. The authors provide ways to think differently about sleep (the bed is not a torture chamber), and ways to ease into sleep.
Most of all, it's a personalized program. You follow the guidelines to fix whatever your particular sleep problem happens to be.
My advice? If you toss and turn night after night, I strongly recommend picking up a copy of this book.
And now...nighty night!
There are three things that I like about this book which makes it different from other books on insomnia that I have read.
1. The authors explain why sleep is so unreliable, how it's supposed to happen, and how to catch that all-important "wave of sleep," which has a lot to do with your individual sleep/wake cycle.
2. The authors cover the three different kinds of insomnia, and offer remedies for each. Do you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking early? I've got all three. So I focused on the tips for fractured sleep.
3. The authors provide ways to think differently about sleep (the bed is not a torture chamber), and ways to ease into sleep.
Most of all, it's a personalized program. You follow the guidelines to fix whatever your particular sleep problem happens to be.
My advice? If you toss and turn night after night, I strongly recommend picking up a copy of this book.
And now...nighty night!
December 25, 2011
I picked this book up because I searched Google for "sleep restriction therapy" and "chronic fatigue syndrome". The two pages of The Ionsomnia Answer that popped up in Google books convinced me that the authors had at least some idea of how a sleep disorder fits into CFS/ME. They do not make the mistake of assuming that awake is the same as functional or that a person with a fatigue-related illness who stays out of bed all day will actually get improved sleep (or improved anything). Now that I've read the book, I found that the rest of it exhibited a similar level of understanding of the myriad ways sleep difficulties can affect different people. I'm trying some of the interventions. After only a few weeks, my sleep is better, and my energy level isn't better, but more importantly, it isn't worse. Family members have been reading the book and now their sleep is better too.
December 19, 2016
Oh sleep. You elusive little slip of a thing. My fitbit shows me that I don't visit enough with you. Was it something I said? Come a little closer and I'll turn off my phone. I'll stay in bed or get up and pee. I'll work on improving our relationship. I'll quit hollering at you. I won't get up so early to run. I'll give up my nap. No I won't.
February 18, 2015
This book certainly presents a fairly pragmatic and low-tech approach to recovering from insomnia. I successfully improved my sleep by using this book and my Zeo headband (sexy!). It turns out I can't drink caffeine at dinner time anymore. Yay, aging!
May 17, 2008
Looks like a self-help book, reads like an issue of Nature. Fascinating information about the physiology of sleep.
June 15, 2010
I dealt with insomnia for years and this is the ONLY book that has ever helped me address the underlying causes to naturally fix it.
October 30, 2010
Nothing new.
December 9, 2015
Seriously, this book is a must-read for anyone struggling with insomnia.
December 15, 2012
Great book for sleep issues. I have recommended this book to many people. Must read!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews