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To put it mildly:

Sleeping pills do not provide natural sleep, can damage health, and increase the risk of life-threatening diseases. (p. 282)

On Ambien specifically:

If you compare natural, deep-sleep brainwave activity to that induced by modern-day sleeping pills, such as zolpidem (brand name Ambien) or eszopiclone (brand name Lunesta), the electrical signature, or quality, is deficient.

Matthew Walker wrote that book [1]. He also has a few talks on YouTube worth checking out. From memory [2] was an informative one for me.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Sleep [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXflBZXAucQ

He's not a medical doctor, but a sleep researcher.

In general I would ask a relevant researcher if a drug is any good at all for the desired effect, and a doctor if it's the right one from me. A negative response from a researcher is pretty disqualifying (unless it's a fringe opinion)

Great book, need to finish it (always too tired...).