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Do sleeping pills work?

17 Answers
Last Updated: 12/07/2020 at 12:10pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Jennifer Fritz, LMSW, PhD

Clinical Social Work/Therapist


Top Rated Answers
October 25th, 2014 11:47pm
Some say they do, and some say they don't. I suggest trying natural melatonin medication before getting into chemically-based products that could possibly harm you.
October 30th, 2014 12:30am
Different sleeping pills may or may not work for different individuals. Some are addictive, so please be careful when taking those particular ones! All of them have side effects. Check with your prescribing doctor for more details on this.
October 28th, 2014 10:29am
I'm not drinking sleeping pills but I think sleeping pills work but it's not good for your health.
October 30th, 2014 1:35am
Sleeping pills and medications can help you to re-set your sleeping cycle so you can have normal sleep cycles again and enough sleep. They are not meant to be a long term solution only short term since they also have side effects which you might not like. If you can find a natural solution to sleep problems rather than taking medications, that is best since you can always readily use those methods again. Sleeping medications help by 'sendning you off to sleep' when you cant seem to get to sleep yourself. They are not severe heavy drugs which you could get addicted to or anything. Use them as directed and sparingly.
November 3rd, 2014 8:30am
It's safer to say yes than no, but it isn't 100% true. It's more of a psychological sort of deal. It's like chemotherapy, you it makes you think you're getting better even though it doesn't do much and your positive attitude and emotions and belief help fuel the intended result and surprisingly enough, it actually happens at times.
November 6th, 2014 3:57pm
In my personal experience, no. I have taken a few in the past and it never made any difference, I still used to toss and turn, wake up throughout the night and wake up feeling horrid.
November 8th, 2014 11:26pm
Sleeping pills do work to an extent. Sometimes, a person can get immune to the pills, so it is better not to take them. You don't want to end up being dependent on them.
November 14th, 2014 10:20am
Based on my personal experience, sleeping pills don't really work and if they do they're usually extremely strong and have addictive stuff in them so you have to take them to sleep. My advice would be to not take them as I've met people who literally can't sleep without them anymore. If you wanna try some then try natural ones because they don't damage your system as the chemical ones do.
November 15th, 2014 9:56am
Sleeping pills are effective for many people but not for all. They are usually recommended as PRNs or to be taken as needed as the body does get accustom to them. Some people are immune to their effects and other treatment options may have to be explored and further testing such going to sleep clinic may be required as other underlying things make be causing a person's inability to sleep normally.
November 17th, 2014 9:16pm
they do work. it helped me through a hard time. i couldn't sleep because i was to down, and then i was tired the next day and this tore me down even more. i began to take them and i felt better. i don't take them anymore but sometimes i do
April 11th, 2015 5:08pm
Generally, yes. but the quality of sleep usually suffers. Plus your body can become used to taking even the non-addictive type of pills and have trouble sleeping if you don't take them. (The type that can be habit forming causes general withdrawal effects that are dangerous if you don't work with a physician to slowly go off of them.)
June 6th, 2015 3:16am
It depends on the person. In general, pills differ in results. Some people may feel relief from sleeping pills while others may be having issues with theirs. You also have to take into account any factors such as someone who claims the pills aren't working for them might be having side effects from them due to their own fault; such as, missing one pill or more, drinking alcohol while on their medication, drug abuse etc. I would suggest going to your GP if you're considering taking sleeping pills. They're not only licensed professionals, they also have your medical records and will be able to give you accurate advice and information on self-help techniques. Whenever you have a medical query, always go to your GP.
August 31st, 2015 7:05am
pills work differently for every person. Your friends may take sleeping pills and they work for them and when you take them they don't seem to work. Your doctor will find a solution to a sleeping problem
September 16th, 2015 1:46pm
It really depends on the type of pills you might be taking, and the person. Some work a lot for one person, but not for another. Finding the right sleeping pills for you with help from your psychiatrist could be really helpful:)
November 9th, 2015 4:43am
yeah, they are heaven when you need them, though i only use them when i am sick and it happens to be a night time medicine
April 21st, 2020 10:46pm
depends on the person , and they do wear off over time. i would start with a low dose and see how it affects you, and go from there. some are really strong and others like from a drug store are low dose and work for some people i would try the drug store ones first see how they affect you and go from there. as ones from the dr can be very strong and make people do weird things like sleeping walking or talking or even sleep eating. have to be very careful with ones from the dr.
December 7th, 2020 12:10pm
Yes, sleeping pills do work. Ambien sleeping pills work & also Melatonin sleeping pills work. You have to be careful not to take them & not lay down to go to sleep though because if you are up & moving around you will not fall asleep & they will have a negative effect on you. Ambien will make you hallucinate if you take them & do not go to sleep within probably 30 minutes of taking it. These sleeping pills do have a tendency for you to develop a tolerance if you take them too often so I have found it best to alternate between the two by taking Melatonin one night & Ambien the next night.