In Britain alone such pills are prescribed almost three-quarters of a million times per year. There is now a link with odd and bizarre side effects including overeating and sleep walking.

Not all sleeping pills appear to be implicated. The main one is called Zolpidem (Stilnoct). There appears to be many instances of bizarre behavior by those who have been taking it. Some patients had gained several pounds in weight of unknown origin. In one case, it was only when the patient was found eating in the middle of the night in front of her fridge while she was still fast asleep that the cause was known.

Other patients have woken whilst taking food from the kitchen and others have had other things in their hands such as paint brushes whilst painting the door whilst asleep. Worryingly there have also been at least two times when patients have been found driving after taking the drug and whilst asleep.

Other reported side effects include reports of hallucinations and amnesia. The drug, along with others like it, is only licensed for use for a short time. However, when patients find that they get benefit from using the drug it is often hard to get them off of it. Warnings do appear inside the packets of the drugs warning of these side effects and other problems.

Although it is not uncommon for most adults to suffer from a sleepless night, for the insomnia sufferer it is a reoccurring problem. Unfortunately, 40 percent of insomnia sufferers rely on over the counter sleep aids or prescribed sleeping pills to combat sleeplessness. The question is, are they effective? And what are the long term effects of taking sleeping pills?

Taking sleeping pills over a long period will break down your body’s natural sleep cycle and make natural sleep very difficult. Most sleeping pills on the market will disrupt normal brain wave patterns. This can affect the quality and quantity of sleep attained.

It’s common to feel groggy, drowsy or tired in the morning. Sleep may feel un-refreshing and you may experience side effects such as, blurred vision, dizziness and palpitations. Sleeping pills may help you get to sleep but with continual use your body will build tolerance, and you may feel tempted to increase your dosage to attain the same affect.

Using prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids to catch up on your sleep is generally ok, but should be avoided. You should consult your doctor before taking sleep medication and never increase your dosage, without professional medical advice. You should also avoid taking them for more than 2 or 3 nights in a row, as prolonged use can cause ‘rebound’ insomnia, which may be more difficult to treat.

Insomnia can be difficult to treat especially when the sufferer has relied upon sleeping pills over a long period. This is because natural sleep is not attained and the sufferer is no longer relying on his or her own ability to sleep. It’s easy to fall into the trap of taking sleeping pills, as most of us think that if we deal with the symptoms, the problem will go away.

There are far more effective ways to deal with insomnia which do not require medication. You see, insomnia is a learned habit. In this day an age, stress, worry and anxiety are increasingly common problems. Financial problems, relationships and work are common factors. We often ignore our body’s signal that we are under too much stress. But by doing this it can have detrimental effects on our emotional behavior.

Stress is one of the major causes of insomnia. We get up, rush to work, spend the day rushing around trying to stay on top of work, go pick up the kids, go to the supermarket, rush home, slave away on the stove, do the dishes, put the kids to sleep and collapse on the couch completely burnt out. At this point we switch on the TV, eyes glazed with a million thoughts of the day and the next, whizzing around our heads.

We go to bed carrying these thoughts which seem to trigger a domino effect of thoughts, inevitably keeping us awake. It may be worry or anxiety, but more often they’re just random thoughts spiraling out of control.

Everyone has the ability to sleep and it’s the subconscious part of the mind that knows how to fall asleep. Through bad sleep habits, negative sleep thoughts and stress you’ve reconditioned the mind and your conscious mind becomes too dominant at night. Inevitably you will find that it’s even more difficult to let the subconscious mind to take over and do its job.

By taking sleeping pills you are only reinforcing this, because you are no longer relying on your natural ability to sleep. But don’t worry, just like learning to ride a bike or drive a car, the subconscious mind is able to learn how to sleep. More accurately you reawaken and reinforce your own natural ability to sleep.

How do we do this? Well first off we need to tackle the cause and improve our sleep habits. You need to take a step back, maybe even write down a list of causes and work to eliminate them. There are far more advanced techniques and therapies such as hypnosis, EFT, NLP and acupuncture which are completely drug free and work to remove the underlying cause.

For now these are some basic tips you can start applying to begin the process of establishing a good sleep routine:

# Establish a consistent sleep schedule and stick to it.
# Have a hot bath an hour or so before you sleep.
# Unwind with some soothing music or some chamomile tea.
# Leave your stresses of the day behind.
# Maximize your exposure to sunlight in the day.
# Make sure that your bed is comfortable and supportive.
# Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark and cool.
# Release your stresses and worries by talking about your problems.
# Remember that bedtime is for sleep and restoration and not a time for worry or thoughts.

While sleeping pills may promise a miracle cure for insomnia, the inherent risks of taking sleeping pills to combat insomnia are myriad. Regardless of whether you opt for short-term sleeping pills or a longer course, barbiturates, benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines alike all carry similar risks - namely the potential for over-use or, in the worst cases, the possibility of addiction.

Because sleeping pills serve to depress your body’s nervous system in order to create an artificial “sleep”, they do not facilitate the essential healing and restorative cycles and functions normally undertaken by your body during sleep. That’s why taking sleeping pills can often leave you feeling drowsy or inadequately rested in the morning.

Instead of turning to sleeping pills to overcome insomnia, try using one of the numerous natural and time-tested remedies that are widely available. Often referred to as a “natural sleeping pill”, melatonin offers one viable sleep-enhancing option.

Melatonin is the hormone naturally produced by your body to induce sleep, and many people have successfully restored their own productive sleep patterns by using melatonin to help stimulate the body’s own urge to sleep. Melatonin can be an effective natural alternative to sleeping pills, but should nonetheless be used with caution as it is not yet regulated by any government body.

Herbal remedies are another excellent alternative to sleeping pills and also to melatonin. Consumed in the form of herbal teas and supplements, or even as aromatherapy, herbs like valerian root and chamomile have been lauded as effective sleep-enhancers for centuries. Unlike melatonin or sleeping pills, chamomile does not have to be consumed over a period of time before it becomes effective. Chamomile tea can be used on an as-needed basis and many people have used its sleep-enhancing qualities to successfully combat bouts of insomnia.

Slightly stronger than chamomile and usually taken in pill form, valerian root is another well-known herbal sedative recognized for its ability to overcome insomnia and promote quality sleep. Valerian’s sleep-inducing properties are so effective that it is actually medically recognized as the herbal equivalent of Valium™. Indeed, it is said that the name Valium™ was derived from Valerian, although Valium™ itself is not otherwise connected with valerian in any way.

As with all adjustments to your sleep cycle or sleep routine, you should choose one natural sleep remedy and use it consistently for two weeks before making any other changes – this gives your body time to incorporate and respond to the sleep enhancing benefits of the remedy you have chosen.