DENVER -- It's a startling number; one third of Americans polled say they are losing sleep over the U.S. economy and other financial concerns.

Those sleepless nights can affect not only your mood and your effectiveness at work, but your general health as well. But some people are at greater risk of becoming insomniacs.

"Probably the most significant factor that puts you at risk is a general tendency to worry," said Dr. Mark Aloia, a behavioral sleep specialist at National Jewish Health.

These days, it seems as though people are spending more of their waking hours worrying about economic stimulus packages and 401ks. But what price are we paying when it comes to sleep?

"Stress can act as a trigger for a number of bad health behaviors: overeating, smoking, and in the case of sleep, insomnia," Aloia said. "The people who have a sleepless night and believe that this is a significant change in their life, or heralds the onset of something to come, will develop an insomnia and that insomnia can become chronic"

If you're tossing and turning at night, he has some ideas.

First, try to decrease your worry about having sleepless nights. You can keep what Aloia calls a “worry journal” to get stressful issues off your mind. You should not read, watch TV, or work in bed. He said it actually confuses the body about what the bed is for.

"The bed is for sleep and intimacy and that's pretty much it," Aloia said.

And if you still can't sleep, he recommends that you "go to another room. Read a book by book light watch TV by TV light. Don't fall asleep in another spot because you will teach your body to sleep there, and not in bed."

Perhaps a good night’s sleep can give you a fresh perspective on the economy.

"They are not going to change the economy by sleeping or by not sleeping so I'd say left with the choice of sleeping or not sleeping I'd rather get a good night’s sleep," Aloia said.

Aloia recommends that people who have a series of sleepless nights talk to their healthcare professional to determine if there is an underlying medical issue. He said that sleeplessness is often an unreported problem.