Most of the time, insomnia develops as a symptom of a disorder such as anxiety or depression, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. A doctor may prescribe sleeping medication for insomnia, but many times this will not treat the underlying cause of the sleeping problems. Treatment for anxiety-driven insomnia often involves therapy and medication.
Types of Medication
For insomnia, there are two main types of medication that fall into the categories of medications used to fall asleep and medications used to stay asleep, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some medications such as Lunesta and Ambien fit both categories. Some doctors may not prescribe medication for insomnia if it's caused by an anxiety disorder. Instead, they might prescribe an antidepressant or benzodiazepine, also known as an anti-anxiety medication. Antidepressants can take weeks to become fully effective whereas benzodiazepines such as Xanax or Valium take about 30 minutes to reduce anxiety symptoms.
Features of Therapy
The University of Maryland Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic recommend cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and related disorders such as anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a short-term therapy that focuses on how a client's thoughts affect her emotions and behaviors. Psychoeducation, behavior techniques and homework assignments are features of this type of therapy. A cognitive behavioral therapist might recommend that a client develop a bedtime routine in therapy and then implement it each night.
Considerations
Everyone's different and their underlying causes of anxiety and insomnia are individual causes. It might take one person longer to find the right combination of medication and benefit from therapy than it would for another person. For example, someone with insomnia due to severe post-traumatic stress disorder might need more intensive therapy than someone with generalized anxiety disorder.
Misconceptions
Some people think that treating the insomnia will get rid of the feelings of anxiety. This is only true for a small number of patients. Most people can't sleep or wake up in the middle of the night because they suffer from an anxiety disorder and overwhelming stress. If they deal with the anxiety disorder and stress, the insomnia will decrease or go away completely.
Warning
Medications used to treat insomnia and benzodiazepines can be addicting and habit-forming. The Mayo Clinic reports there are major drawbacks of taking sleeping medication. For instance, the interaction of sleeping pills and alcohol can be deadly and many times sleeping pills cause grogginess the next day. Some people report strange and dangerous behaviors when taking sleeping pills, such as binge eating and driving while sleeping.
