Medications
In
general, medications do not help problem sleepiness, and
some make it worse. Caffeine can reduce sleepiness and increase
alertness, but only temporarily. It can also cause problem
sleepiness to become worse by interrupting sleep. While
alcohol may shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, it
can disrupt sleep later in the night, and therefore add
to the problem sleepiness. Medications may be prescribed
for patients in certain situations. For example, the short-term
use of sleeping pills has been shown to be helpful in patients
diagnosed with acute insomnia. Long-term use of sleep medication
is recommended only for the treatment of specific sleep
disorders.
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