You could be better off getting better sleep with hypnosis rather than sleeping pills for insomnia.
In a study of patients with post traumatic syndrome and consequential sleeping issues, it was found that hypnotherapy outperformed the drug Zolpidem (whose trade name is Ambien). Not only did the group with hypnotherapy reduce their post-traumatic symptoms, the hypnotherapy group showed an improvement in all of the sleep variables that the researchers were assessing.
You might have heard about Ambien and other insomnia drugs such as Sonata, Lunesta, and Imovane/Zimovance through their constant advertising. These sleeping pills have quite a few potential side affects including headaches; dizziness; morning sleepiness; drowsiness during the day (which could increase your chance of falling, and affect driving); and reduced ability to function during the day. One study showed that older women taking Ambien could have a higher risk of getting hip fractures. Plus, if you get out of bed before getting 7-8 hours of sleep, you could experience memory loss. And, if you take sleeping pills for longer than 2 weeks, you might experience an addiction, and the first night without sleeping pills you may have more difficulty in going to sleep than before. You might also experience changes to your mental health, such as aggressiveness, hallucinations, memory problems, and depression.
Sources:
The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. 2008 Jul;56(3):270-80.
National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Comparing Newer Drugs for Insomnia
