Research
Hormonal
Benzodiazepines, benzodiazepine receptor agonists, and daridorexant are recommended for short-term treatment of insomnia (≤ 4 weeks), while orexin receptor antagonists may be used for up to 3 months or longer in some cases.
If CBT-I doesn't work well enough, your doctor may prescribe short-term sleep medication (like benzodiazepines or daridorexant) for up to 4 weeks. Do not exceed this duration without medical advice due to tolerance and dependence risks. Orexin antagonists may be used for up to 3 months in some cases.
WeakSupportsHIGH confidence
Benzodiazepines (A), benzodiazepine receptor agonists (A), daridorexant (A) and low-dose sedating antidepressants (B) can be used for the short-term treatment of insomnia (≤ 4 weeks). ... Orexin receptor antagonists can be used for periods of up to 3 months or longer in some cases (A).
Why this rating
Graded as 'A' (very strong recommendation) for short-term use.
Source
The European Insomnia Guideline: An update on the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia 2023
Dieter Riemann et al. · Journal of Sleep Research · 2023
DOI 10.1111/jsr.14035
clinical_guidelineCited 685×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is recommended as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults, regardless of comorbidities, and can be delivered face-to-face or digitally.Weak
- Antihistaminergic drugs, antipsychotics, fast-release melatonin, ramelteon, and phytotherapeutics are not recommended for insomnia treatment.Weak
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