This comprehensive yet practical handbook consolidates information needed by health psychologists working alongside other healthcare professionals. It facilitates the progression of the learner from the classroom to the clinical setting by focusing on the translation of science to practice using practical examples. The Handbook is divided into four major parts. Part I highlights practical issues faced by health psychologists in a medical setting (how to motivate patients, consultation-liaison, assessment and screening, brief psychotherapies, ethical issues, etc.) Part II concentrates on treating unhealthy behaviors (alcohol and nicotine use, noncompliance, overeating/obesity, physical inactivity, stress). Part III considers behavioral aspects of medical problems (pain management, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, sexual dysfunction, HIV/AIDS, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia). And Part IV takes up special issues relevant to practice and research in the field (minority issues, women’s issues, working with geriatric populations, public health approaches to health psychology and behavioral medicine). The Handbook will prove to be an invaluable resource for those already working in the field of health psychology as well as for those in training.

Insomnia and the Sleep Disorders

Insomnia and the sleep disorders

Insomnia and the sleep disorders present a variety of problems. Some are primarily behavioral, whereas others have a dominant biological component. Regardless of etiology, sleep problems are remarkably common. Approximately 65 million Americans suffer each year from transient sleep difficulties, and about 30 million more Americans have chronic insomnia (Hauri & Linde, 1996). Moreover, approximately 35% of adults report some type of sleep disturbance each year, with half of these individuals describing their sleep problems as “serious” (Gallup Organization, 1995; Mellinger, Balter, & Uhlenhuth, 1985).

The cost of sleep disorders is exorbitant. In 1990, the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, a commission created by Congress to investigate sleep disorders and their effects on the population, reported ...

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