Even though swallowing a sleeping pill may give the impression of helping in the very short-term, you need to be aware that any type of sleep-aiding drug has a variety of nasty side effects that will make it very difficult for anyone intent on a permanent cure by dealing with insomnia naturally.

For clarification - There are already a large variety of insomnia causing issues such as stress, lack of good exercise, depression, a poor diet, poor bedtime habits and the need for some gentle brain re-training. Sleeping pills and their many noted side effects, including addiction, are very often another big contributor to the misery of insomnia.

So, What Are They?

They're mostly "sedative hypnotics", a class of drug including benzodiazepines and barbiturates.

Barbiturates being most commonly associated with use as anesthetics because they sedate via the central nervous system, but they are also prescribed in pill form as a sleeping aid or as a sedative.

Valium, Ativan and Xanax are a few of the common benzodiazepines that are known to increase drowsiness and are often prescribed for problems associated with anxiety. Benzodiazepines are the type most associated with abuse and addiction.

There are a few newer, apparently non-addictive, sleep-aiding drugs on the worlds'modern drug market like ambien, rozerem and lunesta for example.

To state a case simply; sleeping pills have side-effects the same as any drug, legal or illegal and some of them are just plain vicious, even deadly. You'll only know if you'll suffer from any of these side-effects once you actually begin to use these drugs.

And just another thing before signing off here; after a relatively short amount of time and supposed relief, they usually stop working. Hence you can easily end up in a vicious circle of dependency and the need for stronger drugs.

So in summary; stress, depression, lack of exercise, poor bedtime habits and a poor diet, the need for some gentle brain re-training and your way of thinking along with a knowledge of what you’re letting yourself in for if you choose to use sleeping pills, is critical for ensuring you rid yourself of the misery of insomnia.