Insomnia medications (sleeping pills) can cause headaches, hallucinations, nightmares, and Alzheimer’s disease. They are addicting in the long term as one gets used to them over time and needs higher doses. They can also worsen sleep apnea and raise the risk of death. Sleep medications provide symptomatic relief over the short term. They induce sleepiness to make a person sleep faster and longer while ignoring the root cause of their sleep problem. Most over-the-counter medicines, like antihistamines, make you sleepy but do not help you fall asleep.