Long-term prescription medication use may not improve disturbed sleep May 17 2021 Long term use of prescription meds for insomnia doesn’t seem to improve disturbed sleep in middle-aged women, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open . There was no difference in sleep quality or duration between those who did and didn’t take these meds for 1 to 2 years, the findings show. Disturbed sleep--difficulty falling and/or staying asleep and waking early--is common. An estimated 9 million adults in the US alone say they take prescription meds to try and get a good night’s sleep. Poor quality sleep is associated with ill health, including diabetes, high blood pressure, pain and depression, and various drugs are prescribed to induce shut-eye.