FAQs and sleep hygiene

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FAQs and sleep hygiene

FAQs

When taking a new treatment, it is reasonable that patients will have questions and concerns. In a cross-sectional survey in the UK, 52% of patients did not seek insomnia treatment because they did not want to use hypnotic medication.9

Here is a guide to how you can respond to patient questions and concerns around QUVIVIQ™:

How does QUVIVIQ™ work?

It is generally thought that people with chronic insomnia have an overactive brain at night, meaning parts of the brain that should be in sleep mode are still active.10

Orexin is a substance produced by the brain that helps to keep you awake. By blocking the action of orexin, QUVIVIQ™ decreases your wake drive so you can fall asleep but does not alter your proportion of sleep stages, so you can have a better night’s sleep and improved daytime functioning.1-7

Upon discontinuation of QUVIVIQ™ in clinical trials there was no evidence of addiction or withdrawal even when used nightly up to 12 months in clinical trials in patients with insomnia.1

Because QUVIVIQ™ works differently to other sleep medicines, you may not be overwhelmed by a desire to sleep immediately after taking it. It works by decreasing your wake drive rather than increasing your sleep drive. Ensure that you take your medication at least 9 hours before you need to drive or operate machinery to ensure your safety. This is especially important at the start of the treatment course.1
If you forget to take QUVIVIQ™ at bedtime, then you should not take it later during the night, otherwise you may feel drowsy in the morning. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet.1
Treatment with QUVIVIQ™ can be stopped without the need to gradually reduce the dose, and without withdrawal effects.1
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Common side effects are: headache, dizziness, tiredness, nausea and excessive sleepiness. Uncommon side effects are: sleep paralysis, hallucinations, somnambulism (sleepwalking) and hypersensitivity. Please talk to your doctor if either of these happen to you.1
A period of approximately 9 hours is recommended between taking QUVIVIQ™ and driving or using machines. Be cautious about driving or using machines in the morning after taking QUVIVIQ™. Do not engage in potentially hazardous activities if you are not sure you are fully alert, especially in the first few days of treatment.1
Using herbal remedies to treat chronic insomnia is not recommended as there is not enough evidence that they work.2 It would be best to stop taking them whilst you are taking QUVIVIQ™.
OTC: over-the-counter

Patients should be advised to continue to practise good sleep hygiene.

Sleep hygiene

Sleep hygiene aims to increase awareness of behavioural, environmental and temporal factors that may be detrimental or beneficial to sleep. These practices aim to establish a healthy sleep routine and create an environment and lifestyle that supports restful sleep.11

Click on the boxes below to learn more.

Maintain a good sleep environment11

Keep a regular sleep schedule11
Relax before going to bed11
Limit/ avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol11
Exercise early, not late11
Be assured normal sleep is not “normal”12

The NHS website, Every mind matters has tips for practising sleep hygiene, helping deal with stress and anxiety, as well as self‑CBT techniques.

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QUVIVIQ™ is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with insomnia characterised by symptoms present for at least 3 months and considerable impact on daytime functioning.1

This information is intended for UK healthcare professionals.

▼This medicine is subject to additional monitoring.

Adverse events must be reported. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in Google Play or Apple App Store. Adverse events should also be reported to ds.safety.uk@idorsia.com

References

  1. QUVIVIQ™ Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Summary of Product Characteristics
  2. Roch C, Bergamini G et al. Nonclinical pharmacology of daridorexant: a new dual orexin receptor antagonist for the treatment of insomnia. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021;238:2693-2708
  3. Chaput J P, Dutil C, Sampasa-Kanyinga H. Sleeping hours: what is the ideal number and how does age impact this? Nat Sci Sleep 2018;10:421-430
  4. Di Marco T, Djonlagic I et al. Effect of daridorexant on sleep architecture in patients with chronic insomnia disorder: a pooled post hoc analysis of two randomized Phase 3 clinical studies. Sleep 2024:doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsae1098
  5. Robbins R, Quan S F et al. A nationally representative survey assessing restorative sleep in US adults. Front Sleep 2022;1:doi:10.3389/frsle.2022.935228
  6. Mignot E, Mayleben D et al. Safety and efficacy of daridorexant in patients with insomnia disorder: results from two multicentre, randomised, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled, phase 3 trials. Lancet Neurol 2022;21:125-139
  7. Kunz D, Dauvilliers Y et al. Long-term safety and tolerability of daridorexant in patients with insomnia disorder. CNS Drugs 2023;37:93-106
  8. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Clinical knowledge summary. Insomnia. Scenario: managing long-term insomnia (more than 3 months duration), May 2025. Available at: cks.nice.org.uk. Accessed August 2025
  9. Stinson K, Tang N K, Harvey A G. Barriers to treatment seeking in primary insomnia in the United Kingdom: a cross-sectional perspective. Sleep 2006;29(12):1643-1646
  10. Morin C M, Drake C L et al. Insomnia disorder. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2015;1:15026
  11. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Clinical knowledge summary. Insomnia. Scenario: managing short-term insomnia (less than 3 months duration), May 2025. Available at: cks.nice.org.uk. Accessed August 2025
  12. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Clinical knowledge summary. Insomnia. How should I assess a person with suspected insomnia? May 2025. Available at: cks.nice.org.uk. Accessed August 2025

© NICE 2023 Daridorexant for treating long-term insomnia. Available from www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta922. All rights reserved. Subject to Notice of rights.

NICE guidance is prepared for the National Health Service in England. All NICE guidance is subject to regular review and may be updated or withdrawn. NICE accepts no responsibility for the use of its content in this product/ publication.

UK-DA-00656 | Date of preparation: September 2025

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