Got insomnia? There's a simple, safe and free prescription.

It’s called meditation. I occasionally get bouts of insomnia, either not being able to fall asleep within about the first half hour of going to bed, or staying asleep. It’s a real pain, especially when you have to get up early the next morning. The anxiety over getting a restful nights sleep can make getting your ‘zzzzz’ even harder.

I’ve tried various prescription and over the counter remedies and the best I’ve come across is still meditation. This way you’re using your bodies own natural capabilities to promote relaxation and then sleep. New studies are proving that I’m on the right track.

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Sleep disorders: misunderstood and underestimated

Sleep disorders are a major public health concern affecting millions of individuals, families, and communities on a daily basis. We are a chronically overtired country, which often has grave health repercussions. Our host, David Granet, M.D., is joined by one of the nation’s preeminent experts in the field, Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Ph.D., recipient of the National Sleep Foundation’s 2007 Lifetime Achievement award, to discuss this issue that affects us all.  

Sleep tight to avoid high blood pressure

According to a National Institutes of Health funded study of nearly 240 teens ages 13 to 16, those who had trouble failling asleep or who woke too early were 3-1/2 times more likely to have elevated blood pressure.

Sleeping fewer than 6-1/2 hours per night boosted risk 2-1/2 times. Experts found that 14 percent of the study participants actually had syptoms consistant with pre-hypertension - meaning they don’t have high blood pressure now but are likely to develop it in the future.

It is suggested that adolescents need about nine hours’ sleep a night.