Insomnia, or poor sleep, is fairly common but it does not usually last for long. If you have problems sleeping, it may mean that you have difficulty getting off to sleep, or you may wake up for long periods during the night, or you may wake up too early in the morning. 'Sleeping tablets' like zolpidem are considered to be a last resort, but they are sometimes prescribed for a short period of time to help with a particularly bad patch of insomnia.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/medicine/zolpidem-tablets-stilnoct