Insomnia is often dismissed as a nuisance or an inevitable part of aging. But it’s far more than that. It’s a condition that robs you of your ability to function — physically, emotionally, and mentally. When left unaddressed, chronic insomnia doesn’t just hurt your quality of life, it dismantles it. As a result, many people turn to pharmaceutical interventions — sleeping pills — to be able to get their much-needed slumber.

However, these medications are causing even more damage. According to a recent large-scale analysis, both the symptoms of insomnia and the medications typically prescribed to treat it are strongly tied to future disability, and the damage stacks up over time.

In a recent study published in the journal Sleep,1 researchers from Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Taipei Medical University tracked 6,722 American adults aged 65 and older to investigate how insomnia and the use of sleeping pills influence the risk of disability.

The researchers used five years of data, from 2011 to 2015, from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) to predict who would lose the ability to care for themselves or move independently in the years ahead.2

While it might not seem like much, this adds up quickly over a few years. For example, someone moving from “never” to “every night” over five years would end up with a full point or more increase on the disability scale — enough to shift someone from independence to needing help.

Digging deeper, Orfeu Buxton, a professor at Penn State and co-author of the study, suggested a key reason sleep medications may contribute to disability is the increased risk of falls.3

The older you get, the more restorative sleep matters, and the more dangerous it is to go without it night after night. The good news is, there are several easy lifestyle changes that will help improve your sleep (we’ll discuss them later). Soomi Lee, an associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State and one of the co-authors of the study, said:

"Many older adults think sleep disruptions are a natural part of aging, but they are a real problem that must be addressed. And that problem is unlikely to improve unless people talk to their doctors. There are not enough sleep clinics, especially in rural areas, so older people may need to advocate for themselves to get proper treatment."9

Today, the number of Americans struggling with sleep disorders stands at around 50 to 70 million — 1 in 3 adults are now failing to get the restful, uninterrupted sleep they need for optimal health.10 And while sleeping pills seem like the quickest way to address this problem, many are unaware that these medications are forcing your brain into an unnatural, sedated state that’s nothing like the sleep you need.11

What’s more, the study also confirmed what’s been known for years: sleeping pills do not create real sleep; instead, they cause sedation. When you take sleeping pills, your brain gets stuck in an artificial sleep state that lacks deep sleep and REM sleep — important cycles that are necessary for memory and repair. As a result, brain function declines and your risk of neurodegenerative diseases rises.

Many studies have already shown that taking sleeping pills significantly hampers your cognitive function. For elderly people who are at higher risk of neurodegenerative illnesses, relying on these pharmaceutical interventions nightly is a risky move that speeds up your decline.

If you're dealing with insomnia, or you've been relying on sleep medications to get through the night, I recommend trying these practical steps to improve your sleep quality. Implementing these changes will support your body’s natural sleep rhythms and help protect your cognitive and physical health — especially as you age.

Don’t settle for medications that do more harm than good. Take back control by addressing the real reasons behind your insomnia and building a foundation for sleep that lasts. For more useful strategies to boost your sleep quality, read “.”

Chronic insomnia doesn't just make you tired — it steadily increases your risk of losing independence. A large study found that each year of worsening sleep raised disability risk by 20%, affecting your ability to dress, walk, and care for yourself.

No. While they may provide short-term relief, sleep medications increase your chances of disability, falls, and even neurodegenerative conditions like dementia. These drugs sedate rather than support real sleep and interfere with the brain’s natural repair systems.

A: Basic activities like eating, dressing, bathing, using the toilet, and walking are the first to decline. The more you rely on sleep meds or suffer from insomnia, the more likely you are to need help with these essential functions.

Q: What are safer alternatives to sleep medications for older adults?

A: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is a safer, effective option. It retrains your brain for better sleep without side effects. Pairing it with daily sunlight, consistent routines, movement, and nourishing whole foods also supports restorative sleep.

Q: Why do sleep medications increase the risk of disability and cognitive decline?

A: These drugs interfere with deep sleep cycles and the glymphatic system, which your brain uses to remove toxins. When this system is impaired, waste builds up, increasing the risk of cognitive decline, memory loss, and physical disability.

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