Forty-three potential participants who responded to local
newspaper advertisements or brochures left in local physi-
cian offices, health centers, and senior centers were screened
by telephone for preliminary eligibility. Nineteen participants -
65 years of age who complained of insomnia but
were otherwise healthy, active, and medically stable and
taking no hypnotic or sedating medications were scheduled
for an intake visit. This consisted of the informed consent
process, a physical examination, a 12-lead electrocardio-
gram, clinical laboratory evaluations, structured diagnostic
interviews, and a self-report instrument battery. Inclu-
sionary criteria also included a typical bedtime of between
9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m., a sleep problem frequency >3
nights=week with a duration -
6 months, meeting research
diagnostic criteria for primary insomnia,11 an Insomnia
Severity Index (ISI) -
10, and a minimum of 30 minutes of
either sleep-onset latency (SL) or wake after sleep onset
(WASO). Additional exclusionary criteria included any un-
stable medical or psychiatric illness, a positive screen for
substances of abuse, the use of any sedating or hypnotic med-
ications, symptoms suggestive of sleep disorders other than
primary insomnia, and any diagnosis of diabetes or elevated
glucose levels on baseline clinical chemistries (to exclude pa-
tients who may not monitor their sugar intake adequately given
the potential addition of a fruit juice to their diet).