Dreaming of sleep: if you toss and turn at night, you can't rejuvenate your body. Read on to get the restful night you need.(THE DOCTOR IS IN)

If you're unable to sleep, then you might be one of the 35 million Americans who suffer from some degree of insomnia. Over a third of us do, but 5 percent have symptoms that are chronic or severe enough to seek medical help.

Insomnia can be either the inability to fall asleep or a broken and restless sleep with early waking. There are many possible causes but the effect is the same: a self-perpetuating cycle of sleep disruption. Getting enough sleep is essential to having a healthy body, mind and spirit. Sleep restores our bodies--it's when many important body functions occur, including tissue regeneration, muscle building, fat metabolism and blood sugar and insulin regulation. It also provides time for conscious and unconscious mind communication. By contrast, chronic sleep deprivation accelerates brain aging, as well as tissue degeneration and an inability to cope.

the sleep cycle

Normal sleep patterns repeat themselves on a 24-hour cycle, but sleep needs vary according to age and gender. For instance, a baby needs 14-15 hours while an adult may need only 7-9 hours; women tend to require more shut-eye than men do.

When we sleep, we alternate between two types of sleep: REM (a period of rapid eye movement and dreaming) and non-REM. Non-REM sleep is divided into four levels of brain-wave activity. As sleep progresses, the sleep deepens and the brain waves slow until the cycle ends with the most restive period before entering REM sleep. We may experience between four and six of these cycles a night.

interrupting insomnia

Clarifying the factors that may contribute to sleep deprivation can help you find your way to restful nights. Tossing and turning can be caused by a host of different things, including stress, anxiety, depression, sleep apnea, nocturnal hypoglycemia, emotional arousal (i.e., anger, depression, excitement), caffeine, alcohol, restless leg syndrome and a disruptive environment (i.e., your sleeping area is noisy, too light, too hot, too cold or the bed isn't comfortable). Here are some helpful tips for beating insomnia: