Sleeping Pills

What are sleeping pills?

Sleeping pills are medicines or natural remedies that make it easier to fall asleep. Some of these medicines can be bought without a prescription. Others are available only with a prescription.

Nonprescription sleep medicines usually contain antihistamines such as diphenhydramine or doxylamine. Antihistamines are used to treat allergies, and they can also make you sleepy.

Natural remedies that may help treat sleep problems include valerian root, melatonin, and St. John's wort. They may help most when sleep problems are due to shift work or jet lag.

The most commonly used prescription sleep medicine is zolpidem (Ambien). Other prescription sleep medicines include lorazepam (Ativan), zaleplon (Sonata), eszopiclone (Lunesta), and triazolam (Halcion).

Can they be harmful?

All sleeping pills have side effects. Side effects may include headaches, nightmares, and trouble concentrating. Antihistamines can make your nose, mouth, and eyes dry, so you need to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Some people have a greater risk of side effects. This includes people with chronic liver or kidney disease, adults over the age of 65, and women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

Sleep medicine stays in the bloodstream and may cause a kind of sleep hangover. You may be drowsy or dizzy the day after you take it. Take something to help you sleep only if you do not have to get up for 7 or 8 hours after taking the medicine.

When you stop taking sleeping pills after using them for a short time you may feel nervous and cranky for a few days. With long-term use, you may have problems remembering things and making good decisions. Your muscles may get weak, and you can become confused and disoriented.

After a couple of weeks, sleep medicine may not work as well as it did at first. This is called developing a tolerance. If you have taken sleeping pills for a long time and stop suddenly, you may become very sick. Symptoms of withdrawal may range from headaches and not being able to sleep to seizures or hallucinations. This is because many sleeping pills are habit-forming. You can become addicted.

Sleeping pills increase the effects of alcohol and other drugs that slow down your nervous system, including your breathing. Combining sleeping pills and alcohol or other sedating drugs may cause you to stop breathing. Other sedating drugs are sedatives (tranquilizers), muscle relaxants, and some cold and allergy medicines. Check with your pharmacist or healthcare provider before you drink alcohol or take other medicines while taking sleeping pills.

How do I take them safely?

Check with your healthcare provider or pharmacist before taking any kind of medicine to help you sleep. Nonprescription pills and natural remedies can cause as many problems as prescription medicines.

Generally, sleeping pills should be used no longer than 1 to 2 weeks. Trouble sleeping (insomnia) that lasts longer than 2 weeks may be a sign of a medical problem. Medical problems such as diabetes, sleep apnea, or arthritis can cause insomnia. Stress, anxiety, or depression can also keep you from sleeping. If insomnia is caused by these kinds of problems, it will continue until the cause is corrected.

Don't take more than directed or take sleeping pills longer than 2 weeks. If the dosage no longer works, stop taking the medicine and talk with your healthcare provider. In the long term, there are better ways to deal with stress and trouble sleeping. Some of these are exercise, biofeedback, relaxation techniques, and counseling.