Personal stories about taking sleeping pills for insomnia

These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Liz, age 45: I used to have a stressful job and would wake up at night after a few hours of sleep. I couldn't go back to sleep. The same thing happened night after night. My blood pressure went up, and I was tired all the time. I have since changed to a less stressful job, but I still didn't sleep all night. I bought a better mattress hoping that would help, but I would still wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep. I talked with my doctor several times about my insomnia and decided to try sleeping pills.

Alejandro, age 25: I kept many bad habits I had picked up in college. I would stay up late with friends, often while drinking. The next day at work I would drink coffee all day to help keep me going. I ate meals whenever I could spare the time. As a result I wasn't sleeping regularly. I thought about taking sleeping pills, but I didn't like the possible side effects. So I decided to make changes in my behavior. I go to bed at about the same time every night, exercise after work 3 days a week, and limit how much alcohol and coffee I drink.

Chris, age 33: I used to worry about not going to sleep at night. So I would sit up late at night watching TV in bed. The more I worried about not being able to go to sleep, the longer I would stay awake. My doctor said I may be depressed and told me that counseling might help. He also suggested that I take sleeping pills for a short time to help me get the rest I need.

Sophie, age 66: I have several health problems and have started taking medicines for them. Since I started the medicines, I have a hard time going to sleep at night. My doctor believes that one of my medicines may be causing me to stay awake. So she recommended I try a different medicine to see if that would help. She also suggested that exercise might help, so I've started walking around the neighborhood after my evening meal.