You asked
If I have insomnia, what can I do to sleep?
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Your brain washes itself while you sleep .. without sleep, waste builds upHearing Spanish on YouTube? Tap ⚙ › Audio track › English
The first treatment for chronic insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy. It combines techniques like stimulus control, sleep restriction and relaxation. If that isn't enough, you and your doctor weigh whether to add a medication for a short time.
Why does it feel like my brain won't switch off when I try to sleep?
A mind that won't switch off often comes with chronic insomnia, which is treatable. Guidelines suggest relaxation techniques, on their own or as part of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. A sleep medicine specialist can look for the cause and build the plan with you.
Why do I wake up several times at night, or too early, and can't get back to sleep?
Waking up at night, or too early, and not getting back to sleep is insomnia too, the sleep maintenance kind. It has many possible causes, and your doctor puts the pieces together to see which one fits you. A regular schedule and morning light help, but sleep hygiene alone falls short.
Can sleeping pills make me dependent?
Yes, some sleep medications can. The FDA warns that benzodiazepines can cause dependence and withdrawal. That is why guidelines put cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia first, and medication is added if it falls short. If you already take one, don't stop it abruptly, and ask your doctor how to adjust it.
Where this comes from
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM): guideline on behavioral and psychological treatments for chronic insomnia, 2021: accessed 2026-10-15
- American College of Physicians (ACP): guideline on the management of chronic insomnia in adults, 2016: accessed 2026-10-15
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM): guideline on pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia, 2017: accessed 2026-10-15
- FDA: boxed warning on benzodiazepines (abuse, dependence, and withdrawal), 2020: accessed 2026-10-15
- FDA: accessed 2026-10-15
- ASAM + 9 other societies (Joint Clinical Practice Guideline on Benzodiazepine Tapering, J Gen Intern Med 2025): accessed 2026-10-15
- Indian Health Service (HHS): accessed 2026-10-15
- ASAM: accessed 2026-10-15
This is educational content, meant to help you understand your body. It is not a medical consultation or a diagnosis, and it does not tell any particular person what to do. If something worries you, see a doctor you trust.