How do I know if I have a sleeping pill problem?

If you feel like you can't get any sleep without the pills, or won't even try to get sleep with normal ways and go straight to pills you may have a problem with pills. If you feel like this, you should try to get sleep without the pills, to see if it's even possible. If it works and you get your sleep, it means that you may not neccessarily even need the pills!

Do you feel extremely anxious , sick, or nauseous when you try to stop taking them? Have you been taking more and more of the medication just to feel normal or go to sleep? If you are taking benzodiazapines (such as valium, alprazolam, diazapam, etc) and you feel you are addicted, you need to seek medical attention and be carefully supervised by a doctor. Trying to quit these drugs suddenly ("cold turkey") is more than painful; it can cause seizures or death. this is not a matter of willpower or mind over matter. If you feel you are addicted to benzodiazapines, you should consult with a physician and follow their advice about how to gradually wean yourself off of the medication.

The easiest way to tell if you may have a sleeping pill problem, is to see if you are able to sleep without them, if you are not able to sleep for any length of time without them, then it may be time to speak to a professional.

Sleeping pills become a problem if they are used for long periods of time, you rely on them and can't get to sleep without them or you find yourself taking to many.

I think you realize you have a problem when you can't get any form of sleep without the sleeping pills. Or you go to bed and think 'it's okay, i'll get some sleep because I've had pills'. I think they are a safety blanket.

Check the prescription of how many you should take and if that feels low, or you are taking them everytime you feel kinda bad, then you may have a problem

If you rely on the pill every day and can't get your mind off of taking it, if you overly use it and are addicted to it then you have a problem.

I would think that if you cannot sleep without them you may have a problem. Or if you take sleeping pills to avoid life or stressful situations then you may have a problem too.

There is one way to find out, and it seems pretty simple. Maybe you could stop the sleeping pill and see how your body reacts to it.

If you suspect you have a problem with taking anything to excess, you should question your routine. Is it nightly? Do you double up? Or are you taking your prescription as instructed? It is always good to seek medical and professional advice to ask more questions, and steer you in the right path. You know YOU best, and hopefully you can get the answer to your question soon.