Should You Take Sleeping Pills? How to Know if Medication Is Right for You

Insomnia can be caused by other conditions such as stress, menopause, depression, anxiety, or old age. Sleep problems like sleep apnea, addictions like alcoholism, and using too much caffeine can also cause insomnia. After you and your doctor have treated other health problems leading to your insomnia, there are many steps you can take to break the cycle of sleeping poorly and feeling tired during the day. One of these steps may be to take sleeping pills.

Consider the following when making your decision.

• Sleeping pills may quickly relieve the symptoms of insomnia.
• Sleep medicines work best and are safest as a short-term treatment combined with lifestyle changes.
• You can try sleeping pills for a short time while you work on the problems that are causing your insomnia.
• Some sleep medicines have side effects, such as daytime drowsiness and nausea.
• Sleeping pills may not work as well when your body gets used to the medicines.
• You can become addicted to some types of sleeping pills if you take them for more than a few weeks.
• You may have withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking the medicines.
• Lifestyle and behavior changes can work as well as or better than medicines in helping you fall asleep and stay asleep.

What is insomnia?
People with insomnia have problems falling asleep or staying asleep. You may wake up during the night or wake up too early the next morning. Without enough sleep, you may feel sleepy during the day. This can make you more likely to have an accident, and it also makes driving dangerous. You may feel grumpy from lack of sleep. Some people have trouble remembering things, don't get as much done, and don't enjoy being with family and friends. Some people use caffeine to help them get over feeling tired, but this may make their insomnia worse.

Insomnia is a common problem that affects almost everyone at some point. Having trouble sleeping from time to time is often linked to short-term stress. It can last for days to weeks. It often gets better in less than a month.

But insomnia can turn into a long-term sleep problem, especially when you worry about not sleeping well. This is called chronic insomnia. It is often a symptom of another health problem, such as depression or chronic pain. Chronic insomnia is less common than short-term sleep problems.