I've often wondered why so many untested remedies and potions that so many people swear by seem to work. The answer, it seems, is eloquently illustrated by the results of this clever sleep study that titrated blinded sleeping-tablet doses over 20 weeks at different levels among two groups, with a control group taking the medication at the normal dosage. I won't spoil the punch line, except to observe that the answer to my opening question lies in the two words, 'swear by'. Working with powerful belief systems that drive behaviour, such as in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (in this case for insomnia), was an integral part of this cunningly-designed experiment. But more importantly, not knowing that their dosage was being significantly reduced, eliminated or at least reduced anxiety among the two cohorts of participants. OK, now I'm going to spoil the punch line; more than double stayed off the drugs compared to those who actually received their normal doses. The study obviously runs headlong into ethical issues of using placebos to address a problem, but then paradoxically, some of the snake-oil remedies out there are little better. Which ironically, illustrates the point. – Chris Bateman

The search for an easier way to stop taking sleeping pills

By Sumathi Reddy

(The Wall Street Journal) – Debra Davis has had trouble sleeping for more than five years. Once she started taking a prescription sleep medication to help with her insomnia, it was hard to stop.

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