"Eighty percent to 90% of our patients are comorbid insomniacs," said Phyllis Zee, M.D., Ph.D., of Northwestern University, demonstrating that simple one-pronged treatment is unlikely to be able to succeed.

Ruth Benca, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, noted that, for many people who can't get to sleep at night, the problem lies with a build-up of negative stressful events.

Those life stressors make it difficult to get to sleep, make it difficult to maintain sleep, contribute to poor quality sleep, and contribute to early-morning awakening, she said.

"The treatment of insomnia should include training in stress management and better coping strategies," Dr. Benca said. "Treatment interventions should be targeted at managing stress levels and reducing the impact of stressors."

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