Occasionally, it seems that a "good night's sleep" eludes a person without good reason. One can be adequately fatigued, get proper exercise, have a quiet household and perfect room temperature, but still find themselves awake throughout the night. Individuals who experience this frustration often resort to methods that are, at first, quite simple, such as eliminating that extra cup of tea to decrease caffeine consumption, or drinking milk before retiring, but sometimes those diet changes do not help. So many people then decide to try mild sleep aids, hypnosis, meditation, or even "white noise" machines to relax.

These lifestyle additions and changes may very well help the insomniac sufferer to finally drop off into blissful slumber, but occasionally the inability to sleep continues, and may even become chronic. If a physician's exam fails to diagnose any physical problem, and the individual believes that stress and/or anxiety is not the issue, then it may be time to look into other aspects of their sleep environment-namely, their mattress, pillow, and sleep positions. Their existing provisions and posture may be culprits for actual physical discomfort that the individual may not even realize, and could perhaps cause sleeplessness. Since so much time is spent in bed (approximately 1/3 of life), it's imperative to find a bed that meets individual needs. If too hard or too soft for a person's structure and muscles, a mattress can actually prevent, instead of induce sleep. (A way to check: if your hand can fit loosely under your back and onto the mattress, it may be too hard; if it's too tight of a fit, the mattress may be too soft. Normally, a person up to 11 stones in weight should use a soft mattress, and one over 16 should choose a hard mattress.) Furthermore, unnatural positions due to improper pillows can cause repeated awakenings, backaches, and neck stiffness, even if sleep is eventually achieved on any given night.