Frequency of insomnia is increasing with age. Benzodiazepine receptor agonist has been prescribed for insomnia in the elderly, but there are some patients who complain the effect is not sufficient. Adherence for sleeping pills is very low in elderly Japanese, because there has been strong stigma against sleeping pills. Complementary and alternative medicine for insomnia is widely used in elderly Japanese. Sedative antidepressants, novel antipsychotics, anti-histamine drugs, and supplements are used for insomnia as complementary and alternative medicine. But evidence of these drugs for insomnia is insufficient. In this paper, we outline the previous reports such as the advantages and disadvantages of these drugs for the treatment of insomnia in the elderly.