Sleeping Pills Won’t “Cure” Your Insomnia

As a CBT-I practitioner who treats insomnia I am always stunned by the misinformation surrounding sleeping pills and how they “cure” insomnia.

While I am not against using sleeping pills, I do believe that patients are not given appropriate information about them by their providers. Often they are put on them as a “solution” and are kept on them far longer than advised.

While there are different classes of sleeping pills, much of the research and studies available suggest never taking sleeping pills consecutively every night and advise for a patient not to be on them for longer than 4-6 weeks.

However, that is not the reality that I see when seeing adults who come to see me. Many if not most, have been on sleeping pills for years and have not once been advised of the risks and negative effects it can have on their body.

Here are just a few long-term affects that sleeping pills can have:

-Decreased daily cognition

-Decreased alertness (sedative-hypnotic users are twice as likely to be in car crashes)

-Decreased motor coordination and balance

-Increased risk for falls and injuries

-Headaches, nausea, vomiting

-Decreased blood pressure and heart and breathing rate if taken with other prescription medications

The other issue with sleeping medications is that once you get off them, insomnia returns.

That is why CBT-I (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) is the most suggested treatment of insomnia and has a 70-90% improvement rate.

If you are struggling with insomnia find a certified CBT-I practitioner and start learning long-term and sustainable techniques to overcoming and conquering insomnia. There are healthy and natural ways to no longer being dependent on sleep medications.