JAYNE PONDERS THE NIGHT

When I do characters with traumatic pasts or those who are under stress I frequently depict them as suffering from insomnia, nightmares or eccentric sleep patterns. In my new book, SIZZLE AND BURN, both the hero and heroine possess disturbing psychic talents -- she hears voices at crime scenes and he sees unpleasant visions. They both assist in the investigation of murders but each pays a heavy price after encountering paranormal traces of violence: They both have a hard time sleeping because the visions and the voices of the killers and the victims haunt their nights for a long time afterward.

But, hey, at least in fiction the reason for the characters' insomnia is a logical part of the plot and easy to comprehend. In real life insomnia can be a genuine, often inexplicable nightmare for a lot of folks. Goggle "insomnia" and you'll get 24,600,000 hits. That's twenty-four million, six hundred thousand hits...and probably still counting. The Mayo Clinic website estimates that one in ten Americans probably suffers from chronic insomnia. Not just the occasional bad night, mind you, but chronic insomnia. No one who has not experienced this problem can even begin to understand how maddening it can be.

The only thing more infuriating and depressing than the problem of insomnia is the cheery, utterly dippy advice for dealing with it that shows up on a regular basis in the press: Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. Don't drink coffee after lunch. Don't drink too much alcohol. Sleep in a cool room. Don't play around on the computer before you go to bed because it stimulates the brain. Blah, blah, blah. Really? Like people who suffer from insomnia don't already know this stuff? I'm certain that the vast majority of serious insomniacs have tried all of the above. Those steps just don't cut it.

Another problem with insomnia is that too often it isn't treated as a legitimate medical condition. There isn't a lot of sympathy out there, either. People who sleep well tend to think insomnia is easily cured by establishing "good sleep hygiene". They sometimes consciously or unconsciously feel superior because their sleep habits are so very excellent.

Doctors have a few medications to offer but the medical community likes to issue dark warnings about the dangers of using pills to sleep. You want to talk about adding stress to your insomnia problem? Try taking medication for it after reading and listening to all the hysterical threats of addiction and rebound insomnia associated with it.

There are, thankfully, some approaches that are successful for some types of insomnia. Sleep disorder specialists can treat sleep apnea with special devices. They can also try to "reset" your bio-rhythms -- your internal clock. Therapy and medication for anxiety and/or depression (often the underlying causes of insomnia) is an option for others.

Some people swear by daily meditation. Others claim to get help from naturopathic tonics or great- grandmother's old remedies. (Just pass me that bottle of laudanum, dear).

The bottom line is that insomniacs are pretty much on their own when it comes to figuring out what treatments are available and what works for them. People who want help must be persistent and they must be willing to spend time and money seeking answers. Sadly, for some, nothing seems to work.

Going on the theory that there are some insomniacs out there who have done the hard searching and come up with a few answers that might be useful to others, I ask you to share your secrets with the rest of us. How do you go about getting a good night's sleep?

Sincerely,

Jayne