Sleep Aids

So here’s the latest news in psychology. Lack of sleep can cause depression. Eureka! Are any of my gentle readers surprised?

But here’s the real question. There are certainly more people suffering from insomnia than people suffering from depression. Isn’t that true? Well, then why is the U.S. market for sleeping pills about $1B per year, while the market for anti-depressants is well over $10B per year? Why is common wisdom on insomnia that you should just get over it, calm down, drink some hot milk…, while on depression it’s that medication is needed?

As someone who at age 18 used to wake up (I’m ashamed to say) at 6:30am, and who now wakes up at 3am, those little sleeping pills I discovered about 10 years ago have been a godsend. I nibble on a half or a quarter of a pill at 3am, and boom! I’m sleep till 7am and wake up feeling great. Instead of tossing and turning for four hours like I used to, and waking up feeling like s---.
My doctor still gives me a hard time whenever I ask him to renew my prescription.

“Are you sure you need so much sleep?” He asks me.

“Yes, I’m sure”

“Are you exercising?”

“Yes, I am.”

“You aren’t drinking caffeine are you?”

“Yes, I am, but I’ve tried to abstain and that didn’t help.” …

Would he be giving me such a hard time if I was asking him to renew a prescription for Prozac or Zoloft or Wellbutrin?

Sleep is just not my strong suit. I need a little help. And my mother’s little helper – in case you want to know the precise prescription - is half an Ambien (5mg) at 3am. It changed my life. Maybe it will change yours as well. If you can convince your doctor to loosen up a bit on this one.