RICHARD ROSS, MD: Oftentimes a psychiatrist will recommend that his patient take an antidepressant drug early in the day to avoid a possible activating effect of that drug interfering with sleep at night.
ANNOUNCER: Dealing with insomnia is next. It might mean rethinking how you behave, particularly around bedtime.
DAVID P. WHITE, MD: You can specifically teach people how to relax in a variety of ways. One of the primary things you tell them to do is to get out of bed and go do something else. Because if you're lying in bed, all you're going to do is think about your anxieties. They get up, read a book, watch television. Do something that's relaxing for you. And when you get sleepy again, to go back and jump in bed.
ANNOUNCER: Medications are another approach. There are several different types, serving different needs.
DAVID P. WHITE, MD: Benzodiazepines have been the classic drug that bind a particular receptor to the brain. They have a particular structure, and they have been the classic sleeping pill, and there are probably a dozen benzodiazepines with the main difference one to the other being their half-life.
RICHARD ROSS, MD: There are newer medications that act a little bit differently from the old-time benzodiazepines. You can take something and get help with sleep, but then not feel very tired, hung over or drugged the next day.
ANNOUNCER: While some people accept their insomnia as just part of the cost of living in a modern world, experts urge it doesn't have to be so.
RICHARD ROSS, MD: If insomnia goes on for longer than a week or two, then I think it is important to consult a physician and try to get some help in figuring out why you're having difficulty sleeping.
