"I need to sleep! I'll just close my eyes and count sheep. Wait...Damn it, it's not working!" Insomnia is defined as, "the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of one or more of the following: difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep, waking up too early in the morning, or unrefreshing sleep" (McKinley Health Center). Insomnia can be classified as transient (short term), intermittent (on and off), and chronic (constant). Because the definition of "poor-quality sleep" is not the same for every person, it is not easy to determine the severity of each individual's problem. To add to the complexity of this problem, there is not even one universal treatment that can be used effectively in all cases.
             Many effective treatments have been discovered, but there is no "cure-all." The two most popularly used treatment methods are pharmacological treatments, and cognitive behavior therapy. Each of these treatments has its pros and cons and is recommended for different types of patients. Although taking a pill every day would appear to be the simplest way of overcoming insomnia, it is, "at best a temporary solution," and in recent years, use of drugs as a treatment has declined rapidly. Medical records show that the yearly number of prescriptions for sleeping pills peaked in 1972 and were cut in half by 1982. The reason for this decline is that in a large amount of cases, insomnia has been proven to be a symptom of something else. Drugs can be a good solution for a short period of time, but their long-term use is discouraged, because a tolerance can develop after four weeks of regular use (National Institute of Neurological disorders).
             There are three main types of drugs used for treatment, benzodiapine hypnotics, sedating antidepressants, and antihistamines. Benzodiapine hypnotics are the most pres...