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How to stop relying on sleeping pills

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Created by Tim Francis, SUD and Mental Health Content Specialist

Updated

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Original article

Learning about sleeping pill dependence and addiction and possible sleeping pill side effects can help you understand your concern more clearly.

You may have encountered a situation that makes it difficult to sleep at night and, as a result, started taking sleeping pills. Drugs like benzodiazepines may provide a temporary solution for sleep loss. However, they are also highly addictive. A sleeping pill addiction can lead to an overdose or other problems in your life. To stop relying on sleeping pills, you may want to get help at a women’s sleeping pill treatment center like Women’s Recovery.

Sleeping pills can have severe side effects such as drowsiness, muscle weakness, lack of concentration, or poor memory. They can also lead to abnormal or harmful behavior and impairment. If you have a problem with benzodiazepines or similar medications, you need to stop relying on sleeping pills before having a severe physical or mental health problem.

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This topic

There are several things you can do to end your addiction to sleeping pills.

Get Professional Treatment

If you struggle with a sleeping pill addiction, you may need to get professional help from a benzo addiction treatment program. A treatment center offers a variety of treatment options such as

  • Dual diagnosis treatment
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy
  • Dialectical behavior therapy
  • Individual and group therapy
  • Holistic treatment
  • Trauma therapy

You can work with a therapist at a mental health treatment program to address issues such as anxiety, depression, or trauma that keep you from sleeping each night. When you learn how to manage insomnia properly, you can stop relying on sleeping pills.

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Establish a Sleep Routine

One of the reasons you may not sleep is that you go to bed whenever you feel like it. In other words, you do not have a sleep routine. Several things can affect your practice, such as taking care of kids, a crazy work schedule, or trying to fit too many activities into a single day. However, your body’s natural tendency is to sleep on a schedule. This is why some people function better in the morning, and others do better at night.

Ideally, you want to go to bed at the same each evening, get eight hours of sleep, and get up at the same time each night. This conditions your body to store and create energy at the same time. Once your body establishes a routine, you should start to feel sleepy at roughly the same hour each night. If so, don’t fight it. Go to bed and get some rest.

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Be Careful What You Do Before Bedtime

What you do throughout the day and before bedtime can affect whether you get a good night’s sleep. For instance, avoid drinking any caffeine after noon. Caffeine can energize your body several hours after intake. Make sure you eat a well-balanced meal at dinner. You may also want to schedule your exercise routine either in the morning or early afternoon. While exercise does wear your body down, it also creates energy.
If you learned meditation in your addiction treatment program, then apply what you learned just before bedtime. Practicing yoga or meditation can relax the mind and help you go to sleep faster.

Also, only use your bed for sleep. Do not spend all day in your bed doing work or activities. This action confuses the mind and makes it difficult to go to sleep in the same bed.

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Get Help for Benzo Addiction at Women’s Recovery

If you have an addiction to benzos or other drugs, you can get the help you need to recover. Women’s Recovery offers comprehensive treatment that can help you stop relying on sleeping pills. To find out more about our sleeping pill addiction treatment program, call Women’s Recovery at 833.754.0554. We can help you get on the road to recovery.

Common questions

Explore articles on mental health and substance use and substance use care that sees the whole woman for related guidance. Call admissions when you want to discuss your own situation.

Call Admissions
01 Is sleeping pill dependence the same as addiction?

Dependence means your body has adapted to a medicine, while addiction involves continued use despite harm and difficulty controlling use. They can overlap, but they are not identical. A clinician can consider your specific medicine, how you use it, and what happens when you miss it before recommending care.

02 What if I feel ashamed about relying on sleeping pills?

Needing help is not a failure. Sleep medicines differ, and concern about relying on one deserves an individualized response. Appropriate care can address medication safety, sleep difficulties, cravings, and effects on daily life. You can begin with a private, conversation about what has been happening and what you want to change.

03 What information is helpful when discussing sleeping pill use with a clinician?

reflect on the medicine’s name, when you take it, how long you have used it, and any side effects or unusual nighttime behavior you remember. Share these details with your treating prescriber. This information helps distinguish among sleep medicines and supports a safer, more individualized plan for changing your use.

04 When should I consider support for sleeping pill use?

Support may be worthwhile when use feels hard to control, you continue despite harmful effects, or concern about sleep keeps you tied to the medicine. You do not need to settle on a label first. Care can help clarify what is happening and address both substance use and disrupted sleep.

05 How can I contact us?

You can call Women’s Recovery at 833.754.0554 or visit 3801 E Florida Ave, Ste 650, Denver, CO 80210. The conversation can start with what worries you, what you hope will change, and any questions you have. You are free to listen, consider your options, and decide what feels right.

Evidence behind this page

Supporting health information

Read how we select health information sources and apply the Women’s Recovery editorial policy. These references provide general education and context; they do not establish an individual diagnosis, service, or treatment recommendation.

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