So my sister has some sleeping issues... and need help... for the past week she has only gotten about 12 hours of sleep... yesterday she slept for 3 hours and has been up since then and that's more then 24 hours she has been up for.. and she says she can not fall asleep for anything she lays in bed for hours and hours and can not fall asleep.. she also says she has bad head aches... could she have insomnia? Please help!!

Let's start simple...

How old is she?

She is 26 will be 27 in July.

Is there any chance she may be taking any sort of drug?

Nope

Is she under stress? Is she suffering from anxiety, worry or depression?

Has anything changed recently? Lost her job, moved home etc? Break - up?

Headaches are common especially with lack of sleep.

Here's a sleep technique she can try to relax:

Sleep techniques

I work midnight shift (have for 2 years) and am in the same boat as your sister some weeks. More than likely the headaches are a result of the lack of sleep she is getting. How long has she been having these symptoms?

Well the job she worked at before she was a surver and she was also on overnight shifts.. but she doesn't work there anymore.. she has a new job working dinnershifts 5-10.. she has been having these symptoms for about 2 weeks.

It's very possible the recent change of jobs and change of shifts. It takes the body a while to get adjusted to new sleeping hours, as well as a new job. It can be intimidating and stressful.

This is a pretty good link with 13 tips for better sleep

13 Tips To Sleep Well - AOL Body

May I suggest she take Melatonin pills under the tongue? I have problems falling asleep and staying asleep. Since I discovered Melatonin about 1 1/2 years ago I sleep like a rock every night. Put 3mg under the tongue and let them dissolve. Within 30 to 45 minutes you cannot keep your eyes open and go right to sleep. Here is the link that I use. I take 3 of these little pills and put under my tongue before I want to go to sleep.

Melatonin 1mg Sublingual-Peppermint

If I have a rather unusually hard time getting to sleep I take one more pill about 30 minutes after the first 3 and then it's lights out for me. Try reading some articles on melatonin also. There is a book by a doctor who did his own research on this compound. The book is called The Miracle of Melatonin. I got a used copy from Amazon.com for less than $10 S&H included. This sure changed my life. Melatonin is also excellent for jet lag or people who work weird shifts and just can't get to sleep in a hurry. I tried all kinds of tricks, teas, compounds, etc (NO RX sleeping pills for me) for years and never found anything like Melatonin. Actually if you do read the book, you will find that as we age our bodies do not produce this substance in the same amounts we did when younger. That explains why young kids can just lay down and go to sleep within minutes. I actually feel younger since I've taken it and look younger also. The book is a fascinating read which explains how melatonin is necessary for your body the older you get.