The sleeping pills scandal

NHS advisers are urging doctors to prescribe cheaper sleeping tablets even though they are widely regarded as outdated and addictive.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has ruled that the latest generation of sleeping tablets - the so-called "Z" drugs zaleplon, zolpidem and zopiclone - should not be routinely prescribed because they don't offer enough of an advantage over older cheaper drugs, such as nitrazepam and temazepam, to justify their extra cost. One in 50 of the British population regularly takes sleeping tablets, despite research that shows that most long-term users derive little benefit and suffer a variety of side-effects.

People taking them for more than six months average just 15 minutes extra sleep a night and often experience a hungover feeling and unsteadiness. The risk of getting hooked is worse with the older tablets doctors are often prescribing.

Sleeping tablets have a place in the shortterm treatment of severe insomnia - but there's little justification for taking them for more than a few weeks.

So what's the alternative for people with ongoing sleep problems? Professor Kevin Morgan, from the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, believes the answer could be cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - a series of psychological interventions to help the sufferer re-establish a normal sleep pattern.

His research suggests that just five hours' CBT can help in three-quarters of cases - no matter what the underlying cause or how long the patient has been unable to sleep.

CBT for insomnia is available on the NHS, but usually only through specialist sleep centres. For more details, ask your GP.