The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new sleeping pill that the manufacturer says helps people fall asleep quickly and does not disturb deep sleep.

The drug, zolpidem tartrate, targets a particular receptor in the brain believed to promote sleep, said manufacturer G.D. Searle & Co.

Other sleeping pills affect a number of brain receptors, including the one to which the new drug is targeted, said Susan Cruzan, a spokeswoman for the FDA.