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Insomnia affects all age groups. Among older adults, insomnia affects women more often than men. The incidence increases with age. Insomniacs have one or more of the following symptoms:

Difficulty in falling asleep
Waking up too early in the morning
Feeling tired upon waking up
Waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep
Sleepiness during the day

Insomnia can be its own medical problem or it can be caused by other separate issue such as depression or side effects from medication. Insomnia may be a symptom of anxiety, stress or another mental health issue.

Here are some tips you can do to help you sleep better:

Use the bedroom only for sleeping and don't eat, talk on the phone or watch TV while you are in bed.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even if you didn't get enough sleep. This will help train your body to sleep at night.

Avoid substances such as Caffeine, tobacco, and other stimulants taken too close to bedtime. Effects of caffeine can take as long as 8 hours to wear off. Also, certain drugs and medicines can disrupt sleep.

Following a routine that helps you wind down and relax before bed, such as reading a book, listening to soothing music, or taking a hot bath. Do the same thing every night before going to sleep. Soon you'll connect these activities with sleeping, and doing them will help make you sleepy.

Make sure that your bedroom is sleep-friendly; making sure it is quiet and dark. Avoid bright lighting and minimize possible sleep distractions, such as a TV, computer, or pet. If noise is a problem, use a fan to mask the noise or use ear plugs. If necessary, hang dark blinds over the windows or wear an eye mask.

No exercise, eating heavy meals, or drinking a lot shortly before bedtime.

If you are still awake after trying to fall asleep for half an hour, get up and go outside your room. Sit quietly for about 20 minutes before going back to bed. Do this as many times as you need to until you can fall asleep.

Educate yourself. Learning about your condition and knowing that a lot of people suffer the same symptom makes you feel that you are not alone and helps you in dealing with insomnia. There are a lot of available books and other materials dealing with this kind of problem.

Sleeping pills can help in some cases, but they are not a cure for insomnia. They're only a temporary form of relief and best used for only a few days. Regular use can lead to rebound insomnia. This happens when a person quits taking sleeping pills and his insomnia comes back.

In many cases, insomnia is caused by another disease or psychological problem. In this case, medical or psychological help may be necessary.