![]() People may also be attracted to prescription medication because they provide immediate relief and are the ‘quick-fix solution’. Our public health system also does not have the resources to provide CBT for everyone with insomnia, as is evident in the ever-growing waitlists for sleep psychologists. Family doctors attempt to treat their patients’ sleep problems in just a 10-15 minute consultation, which is not enough time to convey even the most important aspects of CBT. ![]() This all begs the question: why are sleep medications prescribed so often for insomnia? Undoubtedly one of the biggest factors is a lack of resources. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend cognitive behaviour therapies (CBT) as the first-line treatment for insomnia because they actually treat the causes of the condition, not just the symptoms. Using prescription medications for insomnia is like taking pain killers for a broken arm: the drugs alleviate the symptoms, but they don’t fix the break. Insomnia medications may provide short-term relief, but they don’t treat the underlying causes of the insomnia. While it is recommended that these medications are only used in the short-term, people can rely on them for long-term relief which often leads to addiction. People on z-drugs can perform complex behaviours in their sleep, such as sleep-driving, sleep-eating or even sleep-emailing. Benzodiazepines are associated with excessive drowsiness during the day, headaches, dizziness, depressive mood and impaired coordination. The side effects of these medications can be very serious. Sleep medications are prescribed in about 90% of insomnia cases, typically benzodiazepines like Temazepam or ‘z-drugs’ like Zolpidem.īut, insomnia medications are not the best treatment for insomnia. ![]() In fact, a recent survey of family physicians has shown that pharmacotherapy is by far the most common treatment of insomnia. Often, these people are given a prescription for insomnia medication and sent on their way. More than 1 in 10 people suffer from insomnia and every year, many of these people discuss their poor sleep with their family doctor.
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