USE SLEEPING PILLS SPARINGLY

Hours of tossing and turning. Lying awake, night after night. Insomnia is a killer – literally. It has been linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

Yet one of the simplest remedies is also the most controversial. Sleeping pills have been linked to addiction, overdose, daytime grogginess and even a greater risk of death compared to those who don’t use them. Many doctors believe they’re a last resort, and should be used only for limited periods.

But while they are not a cure for insomnia – because they don’t address the underlying cause of sleeplessness – they can help you get some much-needed rest if lack of sleep is seriously affecting your life. We asked the experts to tell us more.

Medication is a means to an end – not an end in itself, according to Dr Irshaad Ebrahim, consultant neuropsychiatrist and medical director. But if lack of sleep is impacting on your quality of life, sleeping pills can, in the short term, help you get the rest you need to deal with the underlying cause more effectively.

For chronic insomnia, they should be taken alongside therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Dr Hugh Selsick, consultant in psychiatry and sleep medicine, says: ‘CBT has the best evidence base of any treatment and, unlike sleeping pills, it can cure insomnia.

‘If someone isn’t sleeping because they have a big exam or they’re stressed or there’s been a bereavement or they have depression, we’ll be more inclined to give them sleeping pills as it’s likely to be short term and needs treating quickly.

‘But for chronic insomnia, you also need CBT.’

Dr Ebrahim adds: ‘If someone is very distressed about their lack of sleep, it’s unlikely they’ll