When To Use Drug Therapy When should one turn to medications to assist with sleeping problems?
When insomnia is chronic, that is, lasting more than several weeks and not the result of a condition such as medication side affect that should remedied differently. Additionally, it is wise to first attempt behavior changes that may resolve the sleep difficulty. These include avoidance of alcohol and caffeine, especially late in the day, exercising early in the day and keeping regular bed times and wake times. (For on behavioral modifications see Breaking Fibromyalgia’s Sleepless Cycle) Further, before turning to drug therapy, it is important to that sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome first be ruled out as a possible cause of the difficulty, since some sleep aids can actually worsen such conditions. Sleep apnea is a nighttime breathing difficulty usually caused by obstruction of the windpipe. A common sign of sleep apnea is heavy snoring and pauses in breathing during sleep. One study found that almost 50% of men with fibromyalgia had significant sleep apnea. Restless leg syndrome
