While no studies have been done to see if there’s a correlation between caffeine intake and the use of sleeping pills, it’s clear that more people need help to keep their eyes shut.

The main difference between all of them [eszopiclone, zaleplon, zolpidem], except for half-life, may be that the manufacturer of Lunesta sponsored a 6-month trial and submitted the results to the FDA, while the other 2 manufacturers did not.

Sonata, recently approved by the FDA, may put an end to groggy mornings for people with insomnia. It is specifically designed to have a short “half-life,” meaning that it stays active in the body for only a short time.

The most popular prescription sleep drug now available is Ambien. It too has a short half-life, but not as short as Sonata’s, which means you can take Sonata later in the night than Ambien, without increasing your risk of morning hangover

The OHSU review concluded that these newer sleeping pills were more effective than placebo pills at treating insomnia symptoms and that “although there are some differences between the drugs on some outcomes, no one drug appeared to be consistently superior