Based on a survey, about 25% of American is taking a medication in order to have a good night sleep. Over half of the drugs are purchase over the counter. What an alarming fact.

Pills or medication is just a quick fix approach. We are dealing with the end result of a problem. We are not dealing with the problem itself. We will progress much if we only concentrate on the end result.

In most cases the sleeping disorder problem can be traced back to some other problem. Tackling the problem at hand is a better solution than taking the pills. Furthermore the drugs might have some side affect.

Benzodiazepine is one of the most commonly prescribed. The drug was originally developed to treat anxiety. It reinforces a chemical in the brain that inhibits neuron excitability. The drug will calm our brain and give us a conducive condition for a good night sleep.

Benzodiazepine can be categorized into two major categories: - long acting and short acting drugs. Depending on your needs. Short-acting drugs are particularly useful for those who want to reduce the effects of jet lag.

When dealing with a drug, side effects are something that we cannot avoid. Common side effects are the increase of depression and daytime drowsiness. Pregnant women also should avoid using any of the medication as study has shown that the drug does give some effect to newborns. Overdoses of the pills also prove to be fatal.

The medication is potentially dangerous when used with alcohol or some other medications. So avoid alcohol and other medication if you need to use any of the sleeping disorder pills.

On contrary shorter-acting benzodiazepines do not appear to pose as high a risk.

With so much of risk we need to be more careful when using the insomnia drugs. Here are few simple steps that we can follow in using the drugs:

- Start with non-prescription medication.

- If prescription hypnotics are required, start with low dosage.

- In general, do not take sleeping pills on consecutive days or for more than two to four days a week.

- Medication should be withdrawn gradually. The patient should be aware that the sleeping disorder might reoccur during this period.

- The use of alcohol or other medication with the drug should be avoided.

Using modern drugs for insomnia treatment is no easy task. Wrong approach might lead us to a bigger problem.