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No one likes tossing and turning the night before a busy day. To get rid of the  sleep problems, an increasing number of people are depending on sleeping pills.  However, according to new statistics, pills are not very effective. 

Apparently, four in ten adults who take pills for insomnia do not get any help from the medicine usage, reports Mail Online.

The survey has revealed that around 42 per cent adults on medication currently have had trouble sleeping from over 11 years or more.

Another 22 per cent reported having insomnia for two to five years, and one in six reports suffering from chronic insomnia.

According to experts, the research has highlighted the inability of sleeping pills to combat long-term sleep problems and also, suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective than medication.

In UK alone around 10 million NHS prescriptions for sleeping pills are issued each year. However, they are recommended only for short-time (2 to 4 weeks) usage.

An estimated one-third of the population in Britain and about 50-70 million US adults have sleep or wakefulness disorders (CDC).

The Great British Sleep Survey of 20,000 plus adults in the UK revealed that the problem was not confined to a small group of people. 

It was also found that people with long-term sleeping problems suffered from relationship issues, daytime fatigue and lack of concentration.

One in ten with insomnia were found to be on medication prescribed by their doctor, while one in five took over the counter remedies.

The latest survey was sponsored by Sleepio, an online sleep improvement program which uses cognitive behavioral techniques. 

"Alternatives to sleeping pills such as Sleepio are urgently needed in primary care settings to provide more adequate treatment to the public," Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation said.

More than this, the risk of sleeping-pill addiction is very high among those who find the drugs affective, so that finding altenative treatments is a necessary priority.

What is cognitive therapy? In cognitive behavioral therapy a person is helped to identify and replace thoughts and behaviors. such as those that cause or worsen sleep problems with habits that promote sound sleep.

Cognitive therapy for insomiacs and wakefulness pateints includes cognitive control and psychotherapy, sleep restriction, remaining passively awake, stimulus control therapy, sleep hygiene, relaxation training, bio-feedback and a sleep diary. To make these effective changes, it's important to understand natural versus society driven sleep cycles and learning how beliefs, behaviors and outside factors can affect your sleep.

A study by American researchers have also  revealed that sleeping pills may significantly increase the risk of premature death, the report said.