'Lavender' is very good for insomnia.

I don't know about the experiences of others...

I use cannabis to help me with two problems that compound one another - intolerance to my sleep apnea therapy (BiPap therapy - sleeping with a mask tightly strapped to my face that blows pressurized air into my respiratory cycle) and insomnia - remnants of my bout with bad depression awhile back.

Any strain in general helps me tolerate the getup I need to use when I sleep for my apnea. Its very uncomfortable and the effects of cannabis - most strains - makes the going much easier.

In terms of my insomnia, on the one hand indicas slow me down and get me wanting to lay down pretty quickly. However, I have also found that while a good sativa will not really let me sleep for the first hour or 1 1/2 hours or so, once that up phase is past, I get even more sleepy and stay asleep longer. Not sure why or if this is consistent with others but I'll take a sative if I have 1-2 hours to pass before needing to get to sleep.

MC