This article is missing a huge piece of the puzzle: Sleep apnea.

I do yoga 3 nights a week, deep breathing and about 15 minutes of stretching exercises just before bedtime. When in bed I will also do some breathing, in through one nostril and out the other. Great way to calm your mind and get a decent night's sleep. I am in my 60's still working at a stressful job, wake up a couple of times a night to go pee, as I always drink some water before going to bed. Yes, Canadians are stressed out, because they don't meditate enough and don't do enought exercising. Just use a little commen sense with a good balanced diet too.

I chop it up to my kids who all 3 have Daddy's energy level and the fact that my Mother has never had a good nights sleep (even in childhood). Unless you have an actual disorder which is preventing you from sleeping it could either just be in the gene's or just you. It bites the big one but get checked out and go from there:) Reading this stuff online may give you idea's but it's no substitute for Doctor'.

Ever since leaving high school & trying to find a job in this economy,i have not a been on consistent sleep cycle. I'm Thin & trying to gain weight @ the same time i can't afford to go to the gym i can only do exercise @ home. don't smoke nor drink. I would love to work but have never got a chance yet. I can only sleep when my body feels like passing out, tho sometimes i get 4 or 5hrs of a nap but failing the sleep @ the times i wanna sleep. I Bet We all Relapse when we wanna stay on a cycle! Ex. nap @ 5:30pm woke up 9:30pm (hungry) tried sleeping @ 1am & 5am idk whats wrong!

Used to sleep like a baby. Used to go to bed @ 11, up for work 6:30 faithfully. Not a care in the world. In one second of a disasterous fall, my life changed. A torn rotator cuff, pulled muscles in kneck & shoulder, seized up arm w/ constant pins/needles. Immediately layed off & on Med EI for 15 wk duration. Savings gone & still far from healed; forced on Human Resources.Over next 2 yrs, gained weight, became diabetic, went through long depress-ion; forced to claim bankruptcy, lost everything worked so hard for including stellar credit rating. Although can no longer continue very physical job, am now able to work. Without getting training, finding it very difficult. Stuck in Limbo & haven't slept full night since.

OK, I 'll give you the solution for the problem. If Canadians are having so much trouble sleeping is their own fault. Why? Because different than normal sleeping disorders happening to some people or medical reasons, Canadian way of life is the main problem. Unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, excessive smoking, (the other day I was talking to my son in front of a variety store, we so ten different people coming to buy stuff, 9 of them came out with one or two packs of cigarettes).
I was getting used to the Canadian way to live and became part of the sleeping problem. Since I stopped going often to fast food places, instead decided to have a good breakfast, a decent lunch, a very light something to eat at night (Because going to bed after a heavy dinner doesn't let you sleep either), riding my bike in the park two or three times a week for 45 minutes and going to the gym during the winter, eating vegetables, (You guys hate vegetables, try to eat them!!), just a couple of drinks from time to time (don't need to get drunk to have fun), I never smoke!! Drink lots of water, and changed my extremely soft mattress for something comfortable but firm (A good position in bed is very important to rest. A firm mattress is hard for few days but once you get used to it you'll see the big difference, even stops back problems and pain), my life is back to normal!! I have stress at work, have kids, bills to pay etc. as any other Canadian but I can sleep 8 hours a day. The key is a healthy life!!! Try and you will see how easy it is. Ah, something else, stop taking so many pills, doctors fix everything here with pills, any little problem you have they give pills, pills and more pills!! How many Asians you see taking tons of pills? They have a healthy way of living!! I do the same and feel happy!!!

I slept fine up until my 40's then I had chronic insomnia. I started sleeping better when I got my mercury amalgam fillings removed, and started to detox with DMSA to get the mercury out of my body. I am still testing high for mercuury and I am working to get my old crowns replaced. Mercury attacks your whole body especially in my case, the brain and stomach.

Another one is RLS- Restless Leg Syndrome-That may be a cause of anxiety...it's awful when you are so tired and trying to sleep, but your legs are telling you that you could run 100 miles.....

There might be another reason. Do you have (too many) wireless devices emitting radio frequencies too close to your bedroom?

I was one of those with sleeping problems, I stop drinkimg coffee anything with caffine.Stared taking sleeping pills, which never worked until the next morning. Then I found out I was talking in my sleep, stop breathing etc. I finally has a sleep study. Finding out that I had a little sleep apneia and within in 5 hrs and 59 mins my brain woke up 132 times. I am now sleeping with the machine, and doing better. not to mention I do have alot of the above sythoms with relatioships etc. There are alot of people with this problem. Maybe they all need the same treatment I received.

i never slept well as a child and continue to have sleep troubles and insomnia. i am in my early forties and after years of anxiety...i was diagnosed with ADD. My mind does not want to stop. It is like a tape recording that is stuck which replays itself over and over. It is pretty difficult to meditate when you are not able to relax.I am getting some relief with Omega 3 (4 times per day), Methylcobalamin B12 sublingual (daily) and a multi vitamin with folate (daily). If I have twocontinuous bad nights of sleep i will take a 10 to 20mg ofamitriptyline to get me back on track.

I have had problems with sleeping for years due to fibromyalgia, it interferes with my daily life, concentration, memory problems, energy etc. I have a new doctor after 37 years who seems to think this is all a farce! what do you do when your new doctor doesn't belive that fibromyalgia is a disability??

there are too many reasons why people cant sleep to be able to create an article about it and narrow it down to 8 reasons... there are financial, psychological and physical reasons and they can contribute to millions of reasons. This article was pointless. It might help the very few that are comfortable in their lifestyle but for the rest of society, this does nothing.

I think you left out two important items. One is persistent pain, such as (in my case) from fibromyalgia or perhaps arthritis. Many other pain sources.

The other is sleep apnea; very common, especially amongst the overweight which huge numbers of people are now. You may think you are sleeping but having a really tough time getting up and an irresistable urge to sleep during the day can be an indication the sleep is of poor quality. If you can rule out the idiot electronics, try a sleep lab test.

I've suffered from insomnia since I was a kid and getting older has just exacerbated the situation. I've been attending a sleep clinic at a local hospital and they had me do the overnight stay thing.....complete with electrodes all over my head, etc. Needless to say with all that, I was awake all night!! I do try to do all the Sleep Hygeine things you're supposed to to - as you mentioned trying to go bed at the same time, even setting the alarm at the same time - on weekends too. Also, as you mentioned, the big thing for me was that the hospital told me to switch off ALL screens (TV, Computer, etc.) at a certain time....no exceptions. That does help sometimes, except my favourite TV show starts quite late! P.S. the overnight stay in the hospital was "inconclusive" in that they didn't find anything abnormal, no sleep apnea, etc. so in other words they just found out, I can't sleep! I SO envy people that have no problem.

One of the reasons I can't sleep at night is because I'm irritated at having to click through unnecessary slide-shows rather than just read an article on one page.