Let's face it: Counting sheep doesn't work for many people. But talking yourself to sleep can. Researchers studying cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have found that retraining the behavior of the sleep-challenged helps up to 80 percent of them break their insomniac cycles. And now you can teach yourself online.

Gregg Jacobs, Ph.D., is a Harvard Medical School psychologist who has been using CBT to treat insomnia for nearly two decades (his studies indicate that CBT works better than prescription sleeping pills). He has created an interactive program that takes six weeks and costs $35 (www.cbtforinsomnia.com).

Each morning users record such things as when they went to bed and what negative phrases came to mind while they were trying to sleep. The program responds with suggestions for modifying their thoughts and behavior. "It helps people learn to reframe how they think about sleep," Jacobs says.