Sleep Medications: Helpful, Harmful, or Both?

Published: 2025-10-13
Estimated read time: 3 minutes

“Should I take something to help me sleep?”

It is one of the most common questions we hear, and it makes sense. When you are not sleeping, the idea of a quick fix is tempting.

And sometimes, medication can help, especially in the short term.

But it is also important to understand what sleep medications can and cannot do, and when they might be helping… or hurting.

The short-term benefit

Sleep medications can offer relief during tough times:

• Grief, acute stress, or medical illness

• Situations where sleep deprivation is affecting your ability to function

• When starting Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and needing support for the transition

In these situations, medications can help reduce anxiety and give your body a temporary nudge toward rest. For some people, that is enough to break the cycle.

The long-term reality

Over time, many sleep medications come with trade-offs:

🚫 Tolerance

Your body may get used to the medication, meaning you need more of it to get the same effect.

💤 Side Effects

Common ones include morning grogginess, dizziness, memory issues, and changes in mood.

🔁 Dependence

Some people begin to believe they cannot sleep without medication — even if the original stressor has passed.

🧠 Masking the Problem

Medications may reduce symptoms, but they do not address the behavioral and cognitive patterns that fuel chronic insomnia.

As a result, when you stop the medication, the insomnia often returns.

The good news: You have options

Medications are not inherently bad; they just work best when used strategically, and ideally, in combination with longer-term solutions like CBT-I.

At Luna Health, we:

• Assess whether individual or group CBT‑I is the best fit for you

• Build a personalized CBT‑I plan tailored to your sleep challenges

• Provide tools and strategies to help you change unhelpful sleep habits

• Monitor your progress and adjust the plan as your sleep improves

• Support long‑term success through evidence‑based behavioural approaches

The bottom line

You do not need to choose between “on meds forever” or “suffer through insomnia.”

There is a middle path: one that starts with understanding your options and finding what actually helps your body rest.