If you're not getting a good night's rest, it might be time for sleep 'physical therapy'

A quarter of Americans develop acute insomnia every year, according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania. Sleep is crucial to everything. But the harder you try to sleep, the more difficult it becomes.

Radio Boston invited Dr. Milena Pavlova, a neurologist who specializes in sleep medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, to help us understand insomnia, its potential causes and what to do about it. One of the most effective methods, she says, is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I. Dr. Pavlova describes it as a kind of "physical therapy" for sleep.