Insomnia is a sleep disorder that can happen to anyone of any age, young or old and insomnia is a nightmare for any person who develops this disorder. However, insomnia is not an incurable disease, it can be cured with the proper treatments and medications. First of all, before starting a medication for insomnia it is advisable that people should confirm whether he or she actually has insomnia. We should always try to avoid wrong medication as it can lead to complications rather than treat the insomnia. Moreover, if you feel you have symptoms for insomnia, there is also the chance of having sleep apnea, which needs to be diagnosed by a physician. If insomnia or sleep apnea is not properly diagnosed a person can be treated for insomnia when they are actually suffering from sleep apnea. Proper diagnosis is necessary before starting the medications, as symptoms are sometimes similar.

There are many different types of treatments and these include medications, therapies and also natural remedies. One of these natural remedies is a regiment of exercise and meditation. Alternative physicians have also used acupuncture with success by insomnia patients as well as some natural herbal medications that are available over the counter and also prescribed.

The medications that can be prescribed for insomnia differs depending on the type of insomnia that is diagnosed, as there is acute insomnia and chronic insomnia. Acute insomnia is a short term disorder that can be brought on by stress, a change in environment and can affect any age group. Chronic insomnia is a disorder that is long lasting and can often be developed due to disease and other factors. Either type of insomnia causes the person that has developed it to suffer loss of sleep and during waking hours irritability, lack of concentration and other fatigue symptoms.

The person that suffers from Acute insomnia can often alleviate the symptoms by changing the stress factor and dealing with that and why it has this affect.

When medication is prescribed there are several types that are used most often when physicians prescribe a medication and some of these are:

Benzodiazepines: One of these medications that are common is diazepam and nitrazepam and these are used to treat chronic insomnia patients. This type of medication increases the action of gamma amino butyric acids in the body, thereby slowing the transmission of nerve signals to the brain.

Non Benzodiazepine: This type of drug is known as a hypnotic and is one of the newer types of medications and one of the better known of these is zolpidem. These are a tranquilizer or sedative and are taken at bedtime and are a prescription medication.

Antidepressant: Two of the most common in this type of medication is Trazidone and Elavil. These are taken at bedtime to induce sleep and give the insomnia patient a full nights sleep. They can be given to insomnia patients that suffer from either Acute insomnia or from Chronic insomnia. This type of medication must have a physicians prescription.