In the long run, therapies that don't involve taking medicines may work best for insomnia (poor-quality sleep). And they have fewer risks than drug treatments. There are even some things you can try at home. Sleeping tablets can also help if your insomnia is severe. But they don't treat the cause of your sleeplessness, and they have side effects.

Key points about treating insomnia

• There are some simple things you can do that might help you sleep better, such as avoiding large meals just before bed, and keeping your bedroom cool and quiet. To learn more, see How to get a good night's sleep.

• A talking treatment called cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) may improve your sleep. CBT aims to change how you feel, think, and behave.

• Regular exercise may help too, but don't do it just before bedtime.

• Your doctor might prescribe sleeping tablets if your insomnia is severe, making your life difficult, and causing you a lot of distress.

• You shouldn't take sleeping tablets for more than four weeks, because you can become dependent on them. This means you may find it hard to sleep without taking a tablet at night.

• More research is needed to know how safe sleeping tablets are for older people (over 65), especially if you're taking other medicines as well.

Which treatments work best? We've looked at the best research and given a rating for each treatment according to how well it works.

Even though sleeping tablets are ranked first, your doctor will probably try a different approach initially. For example, they might give you advice about things that might help you sleep better, or refer you for a talking treatment such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT).

Treatments for insomnia in adults

• Newer sleeping tablets (zopiclone and zolpidem)

• Benzodiazepines

• Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)

• Exercise

• Light therapy

• Antihistamines (diphenhydramine)

We haven't looked at the research on these treatments in as much detail as we've looked at the research on most of the treatments we cover. To read more, see Our method. But we've included some information because you may have heard of them or be interested in them.

• Melatonin

• Music-assisted relaxation

• Internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)

• Acupuncture

Glossary

cognitive behaviour therapy

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a type of talking treatment (psychotherapy). It is based on the idea that the negative thoughts and beliefs people have play an important role in how they feel and how they act. CBT helps people identify, look at and change unwanted thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

For more terms related to Insomnia in adults

Citations