Rebound insomnia

Rebound insomnia is insomnia that occurs following discontinuation of sedative substances taken to relieve primary insomnia. Regular use of these substances can cause a person to become dependent on its effects in order to fall asleep through the process of classical conditioning. Therefore, when a person has stopped taking the medication and is 'rebounding' from its effects, he or she may experience insomnia as a symptom of withdrawal. Occasionally, this insomnia may actually be worse than the insomnia the drug was intended to treat.

Common medicines known to cause this problem are Lunesta and Ambien, which are prescribed to people having difficulties falling or staying asleep. This phenomenon can also occur with regular use of anxiolytic drugs, such as benzodiazepines.