According to the latest evidence, the medical profession is becoming increasingly conservative in prescribing sleep-promoting medications. Over the past decade, prescriptions filled in drugstores have dropped from 42 to 21 million.

Only about 10 percent of people with insomnia receive prescribed sleeping pills.
Another 5 percent buy over-the-counter sleep compounds that don't require a prescription. Still others use drugs intended for other purposes--for example, daytime sedatives, antihistamines, anticholinergic drugs, and tranquilizers.

None of these drugs should be used without consulting a physician first. Their misuse or outright abuse poses a danger.
All sleeping medications should be used sparingly, for the shortest possible time, and in the smallest effective dose.