Sleep Drugs May Harm Brain Function in Older People, Study Warns

Millions of older Americans use prescription medicines to help them sleep. These include drugs such as zolpidem, sold under the brand name Ambien, as well as benzodiazepines and other sedatives.

While these medicines can help with insomnia in the short term, regular use may create important health risks as people get older.

A new study from researchers at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics examined what might happen if older adults stopped using prescription sleep medicines.

The research was published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas in 2025. The team used a computer model to estimate long-term changes in health, life expectancy and costs.

Insomnia is more than simply having a bad night’s sleep. People with insomnia may have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking too early, and the problem can affect mood, concentration and daily life. Poor sleep has also been linked to depression, heart problems and declining memory.

However, sleep medicines can create their own problems, particularly in older adults. Sedating drugs can cause dizziness, slower reactions, poor balance and confusion. These effects can increase the chance of falls, injuries and problems with thinking and memory.

The researchers compared current patterns of sleep-drug use with a situation in which older adults did not use these medicines. Their model suggested that avoiding the drugs could reduce falls by about 8.5% and reduce cognitive decline by about 2.1%. Across the population, the researchers estimated that people could gain about 1.7 million additional years of life.

On average, this worked out to roughly 1.3 extra months of life for each person in the model. Many of the added years would also be spent in better health. Lead researcher Hanke Heun-Johnson said the findings suggest that reducing unnecessary sleep-medication use could help older adults remain healthier and more independent.

The issue affects a large number of people. The researchers reported that around 15 million Americans aged 50 and older use prescription medicines for sleep, with use becoming more common at older ages. Women and white adults were among the groups more likely to use them.

Another concern is that some people continue taking these drugs for long periods even though long-term use is generally discouraged for many older patients. Stopping certain sleep medicines suddenly can also cause withdrawal symptoms or make insomnia temporarily worse. For that reason, people who have taken them regularly should talk with a healthcare professional before reducing or stopping them.

The study also estimated large financial benefits. Avoiding prescription sleep medicines could save about $6,600 per person over a lifetime, according to the model. Across the United States, the estimated benefit was about $101 billion, largely because of fewer health problems and improvements in quality of life.

There are safer ways to treat long-lasting insomnia. One of the best-supported approaches is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, usually called CBT-I. It helps people change thoughts, habits and routines that can keep sleep problems going, rather than simply making them sleepy with medication.

CBT-I can be provided by a trained professional, through online programs or with digital tools. Its benefits can continue after treatment ends, which makes it especially useful for long-term insomnia. The researchers said health systems could encourage doctors to offer treatments such as CBT-I before relying on sleep medicines.

Co-author Jason Doctor said insomnia is a serious health problem, but routine use of sleep drugs can also cause harm. The study does not mean that every older person should immediately stop a prescribed sleep medicine. Instead, it highlights the importance of regularly reviewing these drugs with a healthcare professional and considering safer long-term treatments when appropriate.