People can also experience a psychological form of dependence with many sleeping pills, Dr.
Pien, dependence is possible with zolpidem (Ambien), zopiclone (Imovane) and zaleplon (Sonata), and even more likely with benzodiazepine pills like flurazepam (Dalmane), temazepam (Restoril), quazepam (Doral) and triazolam (Halcion). Some sleeping pills can also cause physical dependence - a condition where people need higher doses over time to get the same effect, or when they stop taking the medication and experience withdrawal symptoms or have even more difficulty than usual falling asleep. The few studies that have been done on diphenhydramine suggest that it doesn’t help much at all: Clinical practice guidelines from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine say the antihistimine’s benefits, in terms of extra sleep, are “below the level of clinically significant improvement.” They’re recognized for their allergy benefits but are often used as a sleep aid because they cause drowsiness, he added.
The over-the-counter antihistamines I used to take, which contain diphenhydramine, “were never really systematically studied for their effects on sleep,” Dr. Sleep apnea is best managed with a machine that provides continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), not with medication.Īnother issue is that many sleep aids don’t have convincing data behind them. Grace Pien, a pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine physician at Johns Hopkins Medicine. One such condition is sleep apnea, which afflicts 22 million people in the United States and causes frequent wake-ups, said Dr. Many people, too, have sleeping problems that won’t be resolved with any sleeping pill. If you fall asleep easily but can’t sleep toward the end of the night, then drugs that wear off within a few hours, like zaleplon (Sonata), aren’t going to do you much good, either. If your problem is that you can’t fall asleep at bedtime, then a drug that prevents you from waking in the middle of the night may not help. Rao, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
“It really is about choosing the right medication for the patient,” said Dr. The best drug for you will largely depend on what causes your insomnia. The hormone melatonin, as well as prescription drugs like ramelteon (Rozerem) that act on melatonin receptors, help regulate the body’s internal clock but don’t necessarily help you stay asleep. Some drugs, like zaleplon (Sonata), decrease the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, he said while others, such as suvorexant (Belsomra), block signals in the brain that cause you to wake up. Krystal, a psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, who specializes in sleep disorders. “The myth is, ‘It doesn’t matter which one you choose, they all work the same way, they all do the same thing.’ They don’t,” said Dr. The first thing to know is that not all sleep medications are the same. adults reported changes in sleeping habits because of pandemic stress. and 12 other countries have experienced sleep problems during the pandemic, and, according to a 2021 report from the American Psychological Association, 32 percent of U.S. I’m not the only one: In a 2021 systematic review, researchers reported that 36 percent of people in the U.S. The stress of the pandemic has left me tossing and turning at bedtime, and if I awaken in the middle of the night, I often start ruminating on Covid-related worries or my to-do list for the next day, unable to nod off again. If there is anything you’re especially curious about, you can also email me at first topic I’m tackling is a big one: sleep, or a lack thereof. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be bringing you science-based advice on a number of issues. I marveled, and still do, at her ability to unpack complex health topics with ease.Īs Tara has moved on to a new opportunity, I am honored to be stepping in for now. One of them was Tara Parker-Pope, Well’s founding editor, who wrote this newsletter for more than a decade. When I started my career in science journalism 17 years ago, I followed the work of a handful of now iconic health writers.
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