One-third of all people suffer from insomnia, defined as “difficulty falling or staying asleep,” according to Carl E. Hunt, M.D., director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, in Bethesda, Maryland. Because of hormonal changes, women experience it more often than men, but it’s a catch-22 for everyone. “Insomnia is self-perpetuating,” Hunt explains. “You lie there watching the minutes go by on your alarm clock and get even more frantic that you aren’t sleeping — it becomes a vicious cycle.”

To break it, Hunt suggests getting out of bed. “Go do something quiet, like reading,” he says. “Watching TV only makes it worse — too much stimulus.” A glass of warm milk helps some people — dairy foods contain tryptophan, which can cause drowsiness. But Kevin Kunz, a reflexologist and the author of Reflexology: Health at Your Fingertips (DK Publishing, $15, www.amazon.com), says his favorite trick is to rub his feet back and forth briskly for 10 minutes on a foot roller. “The bottom of the foot influences the rest of the tension in your body,” he says. “Breaking up that tension forces you to relax.” You can make a roller by placing three golf balls in a sock and tying a knot. While sitting, place your foot on top of the roller and rub firmly, back and forth, using truncated cross-country-skiing strides. “It works like a charm,” Kunz says. Your feet will thank you, too.