“I think it’s safe to say anything that drags you kicking and screaming into unconsciousness is not without risks.” Goel says these types of drugs have also been linked with memory and mood problems. “But it’s pretty well established that the kind of sleep you get on a drug like Ambien or is not as deep or restorative as natural sleep,” he adds.

That research is preliminary and incomplete, he says. He mentions research linking these drugs to higher risks of death. “The real concern,” he says, “is taking these pills on a weekly or monthly basis for an extended period of time.” He also says keeping some on hand and taking a pill once every couple months if you’re really desperate isn’t too problematic. While every person with sleep issues should be employing CBT-I, Goel and others agree there’s a time and place for sleeping pills.įor short stints-a few nights for a week or two-a prescription hypnotic like Ambien or Lunesta can help you get some rest if you’re stressing about a big event, like your upcoming wedding or some especially hectic period at work, Grandner says. Namni Goel, a sleep researcher at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. “But basically, it advocates having a regularized time and routine surrounding bedtime,” says Dr. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.ĬBT-I interventions can range from cutting out all screen time an hour before bed to visiting a sleep clinic every week. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. “By far the best evidence we have when it comes to resolution of insomnia is associated with CBT-I, which is why every major medical authority advocates CBT-I as the first-line treatment for insomnia,” says Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.įor your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. It’s the most effective long-term treatment for sleep woes. What does work, says Zee and the six sleep experts I contacted for this story, is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I. When you attack your problem with pills, you do nothing to resolve those underlying problems, she explains. Depression, too little exercise, runaway stress and a hundred other major or minor health issues could be causing or contributing to your sleeping woes. “It’s like taking Tylenol every day for a fever without ever figuring out what’s causing the fever,” Zee says. Phyllis Zee, professor of neurology and sleep medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Pills are a bandage, not a cure, says Dr. But which one is best? The one you only take for a week or two, experts say.

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