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Sleep medicines include:

• Prescription sleep medicines, such as eszopiclone ( Lunesta), ramelteon ( Rozerem), zaleplon ( Sonata), and zolpidem ( Ambien). They are the first-choice medicines for short-term insomnia. ⁶
• Benzodiazepines, such as quazepam ( Doral), diazepam (such as Valium), and lorazepam ( Ativan). These medicines help you fall asleep or stay asleep. You need a prescription for these medicines.
• Antidepressants that have a calming or sedative effect. These can be used to help you sleep.
• Antihistamines. Typically used for allergies, these can provide short-term relief of sleeplessness.
• Nonprescription medicines for sleep. These can help, but they also can cause side effects, such as drowsiness the next day. Over time, sleeping pills may not work as well as they did when you first started using them.

To help you decide if you should use sleeping pills to treat insomnia, see:

Should I take sleeping pills for insomnia?

Complementary medicine

Other treatments for insomnia may include complementary and alternative medicines. Two of the most popular alternative medicines are:

• Valerian, an herbal sleep remedy. Valerian appears to be safe, and it may improve sleep when taken for a week or two. ⁷
• Melatonin, a hormone produced by the brain. You can also buy it as a supplement. Melatonin has also been used to treat jet lag and poor sleep from working the night shift.

Don't rely on alcohol

Some people use alcohol to help them sleep, but that's not a good idea. At first, drinking alcohol may make you sleepy and help you fall asleep. But when you drink alcohol, you are more likely to wake up later in the night and have a hard time falling back asleep. This can leave you feeling tired the next day.