This is because they often only work for a short time, allowing us to get to sleep but not stay asleep. Also some people report that the quality of their sleep is impaired when using sleeping medication. In addition sleeping tablets are often extremely addictive and a few of them, particularly those which combine sedation with antidepressant medication can be dangerous in overdose. Often people who aren t prescribed hypnotic medication resort to other substances such as alcohol or illicit drugs. This can be dangerous and often makes the problem worse in the long term.
Natural sleep depends upon the action of a chemical in the brain known as serotonin.
The more serotonin we have in the brain the more likely it is that we ll sleep well. If we deplete our brain s supply of serotonin we inevitably develop sleep disorders. Alcohol will sedate us for a short time and help us get to sleep but continued use of alcohol destroys serotonin and actually causes early morning wakening and broken sleep. Incidentally low serotonin levels are implicated in depressive illness which is why alcohol is a depressant and why depressed people often have trouble sleeping. Trying to force yourself to sleep Most people actually make their sleep disorder worse by lying awake trying to think themselves to sleep.