Chronic insomnia is a condition where you are unable, night after night, to get to sleep, and one in ten adults has it. Like all forms of insomnia, this is a symptom rather than a disease in itself, and will never be completely cured without treating the underlying cause. This means that any chronic insomnia treatment should look at the reasons you're not falling asleep or staying asleep, not just delivering drugs to you that put you to sleep.

Chronic insomnia causes may be anything from being overweight to simple bad habits. Start your search for the cause of your severe insomnia by looking at your behavior and sleep habits. For instance, if you watch television in bed late at night, this may be keeping your brain from going to sleep. Sleep experts agree that the first treatment for chronic insomnia should be the elimination of distractions from the bedroom, getting your brain to realize that the bed is for sleeping and not for eating, watching television, or anything else.

For many people, changing habits to treat chronic insomnia can be difficult. A number of solutions are recommended in addition to removing distractions from the sleeping area, such as light therapy and using very mild medication in the first few days to set the habit of going to sleep at a set time. If these treatments work, it is very likely that your chronic insomnia was caused by getting into bad habits. Maintaining good bedtime habits will keep your insomnia away, probably forever.

While simply changing your behavior will cure most chronic insomnia, this doesn't work for everyone. Any disorder you may have should be the next target for treatment: blood pressure disorders, weight problems, breathing issues. Without treating the underlying cause of your insomnia, you will not be able to eliminate the problem entirely.

One thing to look for is chronic headaches in addition to your insomnia. If you have both problems consistently, you almost certainly have an underlying stress problem, either physical or mental, that you do not realize is there. If you are so busy that you have little or no time for yourself on a daily basis, or if you find yourself struggling to do physical tasks that others take for granted, you are probably suffering from stress. If you can't eliminate a stressor yourself, go to your doctor for further advice, focusing on changes in your lifestyle and not pharmaceutical interventions.

When all else fails, natural cures for chronic insomnia may be your solution. Start with melatonin, a naturally-occurring brain chemical that your body produces when it is ready to sleep. You can also try herbal teas containing valerian (sometimes called melissa) or chamomile, both of which are very old treatments for chronic insomnia. Avoid prescription and even pharmaceutical over-the-counter sleep aids unless all else fails. For the vast majority of people, habit changes, stress reduction, and natural sleep aids are enough to help them break the cycle of chronic insomnia and fall asleep.