The article emphasizes the critical importance of sleep for overall health, highlighting the risks associated with chronic sleep deprivation and the dependency issues linked to common sleep medications, particularly benzodiazepines. It also discusses natural alternatives like melatonin, magnesium, and valerian as safer options for managing insomnia, reminding those seeking change to consult their medical providers to ensure they have no contraindications and to guide them through changes, if any, to prescription medications. (AI-generated excerpt.