Prescription sleeping aids can be safe if taken as directed. But how you take a medication is just as important as the medication itself. For example, you should not take sleeping pills with other sedatives. You should also avoid taking sleeping aids with alcohol or nonprescription medications such as Tylenol PM or Benadryl.

Make sure that you will have time for a full night’s sleep after you take a sleep aid. If you try to get up too early, you may feel drowsy. You may also be more likely to fall when you take a sleep medicine, because it may make you feel drowsy or dizzy. To avoid problems, move carefully and take your time when you get up.

—Pankaj Gupta, M.D., M.B.A., Medical Director, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey