Trazodone as a Sleep Aid: What You Need to Know About Use, Risks, and Alternatives

When people struggle with sleep, trazodone, an antidepressant often prescribed off-label to help with insomnia. Also known as Desyrel, it’s one of the most common pills doctors hand out for sleep—even though it wasn’t designed for that purpose. Unlike melatonin or benzodiazepines, trazodone doesn’t knock you out. It gently lowers brain activity by boosting serotonin, which can make falling asleep easier for some people. But it’s not a magic fix. Many users report drowsiness the next day, dizziness, or even weird dreams. And if you’re taking it for sleep, you’re not alone—millions are, even though the FDA never approved it for insomnia.

What makes trazodone different from real sleep meds? It’s a side effect of its original use as an antidepressant. That’s why it shows up in lists of antidepressants for sleep, medications repurposed to treat insomnia due to their sedating properties. But not all antidepressants work this way. Drugs like amitriptyline or mirtazapine have similar effects, but trazodone is favored because it’s less likely to cause weight gain or dependency. Still, it’s not safe for everyone. People with heart issues, liver problems, or those on other sedatives need to be extra careful. And if you’ve tried it and still wake up at 3 a.m., you’re not failing—you just might need something else.

That’s where the real choices begin. sleep medications, drugs specifically designed to help with falling or staying asleep like zolpidem or eszopiclone work faster and are more predictable—but they carry a higher risk of dependence. Meanwhile, non-drug approaches like CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) have been proven to work better long-term than any pill. The posts below dig into these trade-offs: how trazodone stacks up against other options, what side effects to watch for, how to safely reduce your dose, and why some people swear by it while others feel worse. You’ll also find real advice on talking to your doctor about alternatives, spotting when a sleep aid is doing more harm than good, and how to use habits—not just pills—to finally get restful nights.