Remedies to help people fall asleep have been around for centuries, from laudanum in the 1800s to barbiturates more recently. “Unfortunately, most of them were addictive and potentially deadly,” said Dr. David Neubauer, associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. “The history of sleep medications is really a tale of improving safety.”

Are you one of the many Americans plagued with insomnia?
You’re not alone. According to an article published in the April 2007 issue of About.Com: Longevity, between 30 to 40 percent of adults report some difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and 10 to 15 percent of report some form of long-term, chronic insomnia.
Researchers attribute insomnia […]

Insomnia is one of the most common disorders. The 2005 Sleep in America Poll of the National Sleep Foundation showed 54 percent of respondents had experienced at least one symptom of insomnia at least a few nights a week in the past year. While the vast majority of those polled said they never use sleep aids, 11 percent reported using alcohol, beer or wine; 9 percent, over-the-counter sleep aids; 7 percent, prescription medications; 3 percent, an eye mask or earplugs, and 2 percent, melatonin.

“Many physicians assume that when an older patient has insomnia, and is given a hypnotic drug to help induce sleep, the drug will make the patient likely to fall and develop a hip fracture,” says Avidan. “But our findings suggest that people whose insomnia is effectively treated are less likely to fall than untreated insomniacs.”

…using recent research that shows people need seven cycles of sleep for the best rest, the maker of the Sleep Number bed is investigating new products that would help regulate those rhythms with natural sleep aids like lighting control and watches that calculate a body’s high and low points during the day…

A generic version is now (OFFICIALLY) available for Ambien® (zolpidem), a widely prescribed sleep aid. Since Ambien lost patent protection on April 21, the price for zolpidem has dropped from more than $4 to less than 25 cents per tablet, or $100 per month to less than $10. The price of Ambien® increased by over 30 percent in the last year.

To fight travel insomnia, take earplugs and eye shades. Check with your doctor if you think you need a prescription sleeping pill or want to try something homeopathic.

The Food and Drug Administration said it approved versions of the immediate-release tablets (of Ambien) made by 13 drug companies for the short-term treatment of insomnia. A patent held by Paris-based Sanofi-Aventis on the drug, also called zolpidem tartrate, expired Saturday.

Insomnia is becoming more common in our society, particularly in women. The one thing you have to realize is that all these medicines suppress your breathing. If you have sleep apnea, you do not want to take them because they can make your breathing more shallow. Unfortunately, the drugs we have are just short-term treatment options.

I suggest giving a trial period when you take a pill like ambien. You definitely don’t want to try it the night before you go on a trip. Having someone, either a spouse, significant other or friend to be there with you so they can look out for any possible side effects that may occur, especially in light of the recent news.