Filed under: sleeping problems
Whether you routinely spend half the night tossing and turning in bed, or find yourself waking up constantly and unable to sleep soundly, you may have been recommended insomnia medication to sleep better. Medication is often reasonable for such cases. Insomnia is a sleep disorder brought about by anxiety, wrong diet, depression, fear and other factors. It may also arise for no apparent reason at all, or may be brought about by an overactive imagination or physical pain.
To correctly diagnose insomnia and recommend insomnia medication for sleep, doctors must know the underlying cause of the insomnia, as well as the extent to which it affects the person. There are three different classes of insomnia. Transient insomnia can last from a night, to a few weeks, and can be caused by small anxieties or jet lag. Acute insomnia is characterized by an inability to sleep well during a period covered by about three weeks to half a year. Chronic insomnia, which persists nightly for a month or more, is considered the most serious type.
Insomnia can be caused by many different factors. The circadian rhythm, which governs the body’s internal clock and regulates sleeping patterns, may be disrupted due to jet lag or altered sleeping hours. Physical pain or anxiety can also prevent a person from sleeping. Disturbing and frightening events such as nightmares, violent behavior while sleeping, moving according to events in dreams, and sleepwalking can also prevent someone from sleeping. GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is an uncomfortable disorder that results in stomach acid moving up into the throat, an occurrence that can disrupt sleep.
Mania and related mental disorders can also lead to insomnia. External factors can contribute greatly to insomnia. Coffee, sugar, nicotine, and other drugs can keep the body alert. Overweight people and people who lack exercise are also found to be more prone to insomnia. Dehydration can also cause toxin buildup in the body, which can lead to aches and consequent inability or difficulty in falling asleep. Doctors can question their insomnia patients on all the causes mentioned, and can use their findings to recommend the most appropriate insomnia medication for sleep to come quicker and better.
The use of insomnia medication for sleep has long been used and studied. Our ancestors used herbs, alcohol, and laudanum to allow sleep to come easily. With more research into the field, pharmaceutical companies offered drugs such as urethane, sulfonal, and chloral hydrate. As the 1900’s arrived, barbiturates, which include Phenobarbital and pentobarbital, were introduced to the market, until they were made less popular by both concerns about their safety and the introduction of new and better drugs.
Benzodiazepines are the most common insomnia medication for sleep, and, since their introduction in the 1960’s, have been used to treat other conditions such as seizures and anxiety. With more research and safety concerns, a new class of drug was brought to the fore in the late 20th century. Non-benzodiazepine, benzodiazepine receptor agonists were found to be as effective in bringing about sleep as benzodiazepines.
The use of insomnia medication for sleep, however, can lead to dependence or addiction, or can result in severe withdrawal symptoms if the medication is not well mixed and then abruptly taken away. Another school of thought recommends cognitive behavior therapy instead of insomnia medication for sleep to come faster. In such therapies, patients are schooled on better sleeping habits, and are encouraged to let go of assumptions about sleep that may be disruptive or counter-productive.
There are other kinds of insomnia solutions to sleep better, but the effectiveness of these drugs, however, can lessen over time.
If you require insomnia medication to sleep, consult with your doctor first. The cause and type of your insomnia may need to be evaluated before recommendations can be given. Do as much research as you can on insomnia, and avoid medications if possible, a practice that can do you more harm than good. Making sure that you are healthy should be enough reassurance to allow you to sleep better and more soundly at night.
We highly recommend you consider our self-help hypnosis MP3’s and CD’s which have proven effective by many people. A medication-less life can only be better for your body, and if you believe in yourself and your own abilities you will find our self-help hypnosis programs of immense benefit.
Nathalie Fiset
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/taking-medication-to-sleep-132878.html
8 Comments so far
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Booze
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Try melatonin. It's supposed to work great and is natural so it won't hurt your liver or toxify your body.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin
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Turn the tv off or turn it on to a channel that plays classical music. Drinking chamomile tea can help, don't eat for 2 hours before you go to bed, a clean room helps also. Also follow the steps on below website.
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http://www.wikihow.com/Fall-Asleep
Don't drink booze. Lay off the caffeine. Turn off the TV. Use your bed only for sleep and sex (don't watch TV or read a book, etc). Most important - exercise. Get more exercise.
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First thing, turn the TV off. Make your bedroom very dark and very quiet. Do things that will make your eyes tired like reading.
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I, too, have to have the TV on in order to go to sleep. But, I have heard that a warm glass of milk helps people fall asleep. I probably would have to drink cold milk, or warm milk mixed with chocolate syrup, though. There is supposed to be something in milk that helps you fall asleep quickly and I am sorry to say "that something" escapes me at the moment. Its worth a try either way. Good luck.
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If it's the light that makes you feel comfortable try just using a dim lamp or a computer screen. The problem with TVs is the images on them change so sometimes it looks sort of like flashing lights. However, falling asleep to the TV is not the healthiest way to get a good nights rest. Try developing a sleep schedule which trust me I know is hard to do because I'm a college student. If you can't get a regular sleep schedule at least don't take naps during the day because that makes it really difficult to sleep during the day. Also, exercise has been proven to help with sleep. But if your thoughts are keeping you up maybe you can try working through what is bothering you. Try talking to someone close about the things you are thinking about at night, or if it's severe thoughts talk to a consoler (don't worry there is no shame in that). There are also natural remedies that do not contain medicine that I use to help get me to sleep. Valerian Root helps with anxiety which might be some of the cause of your restlessness. Melatonin is another herbal supplement that can be dissolved in your mouth and help you sleep, they even have flavored ones. You can typically get valerian root and melatonin in the vitamin ale at wal-mart, or for better selection you can go to GNC or another herbal store. Oh, and the booze may help you sleep, but it's not a restful sleep because it interrupts your REM cycle (the crucial time of sleep when we dream) also self medication is never a healthy way to fix a problem 
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How can I get better quality sleep without taking medication?
Comment by richazilla44 05.31.09 @ 8:52 amWhen I go to sleep I have to have the T.V on and often lay awake for hours. What can I do to help me have less thoughts with the lights off and fall asleep more readily?