I wrote this little book and put it on a web page, so that people in need could learn about the dangers of sleeping pills and about alternative treatments.  Much of this book is written in the same tone and language with which I explain about sleeping pills to my patients.  I offer opinions and guidance even where the scientific proof is incomplete.  People want a doctor’s best advice, even when we are not certain of everything.

You may make printed or electronic copies of this book for yourself or to give to family or friends without charge.  I would be happy if this book can help lots of people.  The materials are copyrighted, ©1997-2008 by Daniel F. Kripke, M.D., and may not be used commercially for sale without permission.  It is possible to print the book from internet web pages or to download a PDF version, which can be read by Adobe Acrobat Reader.  A version printed by Acrobat Reader from the PDF file will print in a nice format, with all footnotes included.

This is not intended to be a scientific article, but it may be useful to physicians who want to learn more about hypnotic drugs.  For physicians and others who want more scientific facts, I have included several scientific references without attempting to document every opinion.  This is my advice, so not every doctor will agree with everything.  You can find many of the articles at a medical library or by searching the web through  PubMed, the database provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.   My most recent scientific writings about sleeping pills and more scientific references are found at .

If you have depression or think you might benefit from bright light treatment, you may also be interested in Brighten Your Life, which overlaps with some sections of this book.

Continued in Chapter 11