When people think of treatment for insomnia they usually think of sleeping pills. But there is non-medical therapy which is not only effective in improving insomnia, but is possibly even better in the long term than the sleeping pills. Insomnia therapy can be either treatment with or without medication.
Treatment for insomnia can be done with alcohol. It is commonly self-prescribed, but alcohol is of limited benefit. A very small amount of alcohol can be relaxing as well as produce sleepiness early in the evening. But in case taken later in the evening there may be difficulty in sleeping. Not only this, chronic alcohol use can produce dependence and cause various other medical problems.
Antihistamines can be used as a treatment for insomnia. They are usually sold as remedies for colds. The over-the-counter antihistamines may produce sedation and are also used as sleeping pills. These agents are effective for short-term use, but they have not been shown to be consistently effective. These are long acting medications; hence grogginess can persist into the daytime.
You may even use Benzodiazepines as a treatment for insomnia. These drugs improve sleep as they decrease the amount of time needed in order to fall asleep as well as the number of awakenings during sleep. Their side effects are poor coordination, reduced reaction time, as well as impaired memory. These will vary depending on how long the drug remains in the body. They may also worsen sleep apnea.
The Non-benzodiazepines have been introduced over the past 10-12 years. They have become the primary treatment for the short-term insomnia. They do not cause significant hangover effects and do not appear to worsen sleep apnea.
Ramelteon is a newly approved medication which acts at the melatonin receptor in order to help induce sleep and is used as a treatment for insomnia.