Insomnia? Avoid This Common Strategy If You're Older, Experts Say

Key Takeaways

Prescription sleep drugs are impairing the physical and brain health of aging Americans

A person's lifetime rate of falls should decline by nearly 9% if seniors stop taking sleep drugs

People also would have sharper minds, longer life expectancy and more money, researchers project

FRIDAY, Oct. 31, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Middle-aged adults and seniors would age more gracefully — and save a few bucks – if they lay off prescription sleep medications, a new study says.

Avoiding sleep drugs would reduce older Americans’ lifetime rate of falls by nearly 9% and brain decline by 2%, researchers report in the upcoming December issue of The Lancet Regional Health-Americas .

It also would increase life expectancy by more than a month and save folks thousands of dollars, resea