The Long and the Short of Sleeping Pills

INSOMNIA is a common malady, affecting about a third of adults during the course of a year.1 Serious insomnia is reported by 17 percent of the general adult population and is particularly prevalent among women, the elderly, and people with psychic distress, psychiatric disorders, a history of alcohol or substance abuse, or a combination of health problems. Although transient or short-term insomnia usually results from acute stress or environmental disturbances, chronic insomnia is quite heterogenous in origin.2 The complexity of the insomniac nosology has been shown in a recently published classification of sleep disorders.3 Insomnia, especially when it lasts more . . .