In an April 16 article, Brody notes that, more than ever, sleeping medication is being touted on TV as an easy fix for an age-old problem that may have many causes.  While many doctors and “experts” are eager to pin insomnia on today’s frantic, stressful lifestyles, Brody points out that this may not be the case. 

However, many are attracted to the ads offered on TV for such sleeps aids as Ambien or Lunesta.

  “How tempting it is when people hear that, say, five milligrams of Ambien can temporarily sweep their worries under the mattress, allow them to fall asleep within 15 minutes and awaken the next morning refreshed and raring to go,” Brody points out.

“Unfortunately,” she adds, “with the ease of writing and filling a prescription and the mostly good press these new drugs have gotten to date, millions of people are now taking them without first exploring the reasons for their sleep problems and possible non-drug routes to cure them.”

Before diving into the realm of sleeping pills, which can be highly addictive, Brody suggests that those who have trouble nabbing a good night’s sleep might want to investigate other possibilities for their insomnia.  The illness may be caused by a biochemical or neurological disruption of an individual’s ability to sleep, she notes, or may be attributed to a bout with depression or anxiety. 

Other physical causes might include heart disease, diabetes, obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic reflux, restless leg syndrome, incontinence, hyperthyroidism, chronic headaches, painful arthritis, fibromyalgia and other chronic pain syndromes, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, advanced cancer, dementia and sleep apnea.