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Insomnia Medications: Pros and Cons

October 9th, 2008 · No Comments

by Keira Adams

If insomnia has been an ongoing problem for you, you might be willing to try just about anything simply to get a little sleep. But before you get desperate, make certain you realize how each alternative works.

If a run of sleepless nights leads to drowsiness during the day, many people will decide to use a nonprescription treatment. Sleeping aids may be of some use at the outset, but they won’t deal with the actual causes of the problem.

A sleep aid should not be utilized as a fix for insomnia. It could assist you at first, yet you need to ascertain the reason why you’re experiencing sleep problems. For your long term health, you don’t want to have to rely on medication to help you sleep at night.

Lots of people get hooked on medications and aren’t able to fall asleep if they give them up. Others have undesirable side effects, or experience complications due to interaction with their prescription meds.

Antihistamines, a familiar remedy for allergies, is a common ingredient in over the counter sleeping aids. They not only make you sleepy, they help to ensure that you stay sleeping.Some people experience drowsiness the next day, which might interrupt your natural sleep cycle. Side effects could include constipation, dizziness, memory loss, blurred vision, and dry mouth. Once you are dependent on them, you’ll need ever greater dosages to feel the benefits.

The doctor might give you something more potent such as a non-benzodiazephine. This helps you feel sleepy by stepping up the natural chemical process of your brain. Using a sleeping aid for ongoing insomnia relief is generally safer than using over the counter remedies; but it can lead to dependencies.

It’s uncommon these days, but your doctor could prescribe a tranquilizer if your insomnia is serious enough. This causes drowsiness by slowing your nervous system. This is a short term solution that could lead to feelings of grogginess the day after.

Your physician might think that the best treatment for you is a prescription for anti-anxiety or antidepressant meds that will act as a sedative. These are common, but don’t have the same possibilities for addictivion as other prescription drugs.

If you want to avoid the medical choices and select something more natural, you could look at an herbal remedy for your insomnia. There are herbs that have been shown to encourage a good night’s sleep, such as chamomile, which is often served up as tea.

Melatonin, valerian root and SAMe are also considered to be effective herbal insomnia treatments. Be certain to use the proper dosage, because too much of even a good thing can cause undesirable results.

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