sleep

[Meinrad Sporer]

Has insomnia tortured you to the point where you are looking into sleep aids? If so you are definitely not alone, it is estimated that more than 35 million Americans suffer from long term insomnia and require a sleep aids to get the sleep they need to function. Unfortunately in many cases sleep aids actually impair function, and leave the user worse off than before he or she began to use them. Benzodiazepines like Xanax, as well as non-benzodiazepine sleep aids like Ambien carry with them life-disrupting side effects. Before resorting to prescription sleep aids there are lifestyle changes you can try; cut down on coffee and cigarettes, especially before bedtime. Flipping your mattress, adjusting room temperature and trying to drown out noise can all be used in place of sleep aids. If those don't work the next step should be herbal sleep aids which provide relief without side effects, addiction or overdose. Herbal sleep aids are more effective that a lot of people give them credit for. Only after you have tried all of these or determined that the insomnia is caused by a serious physical problem should you consider prescription sleep aids.

If you can't sleep there are a couple things you can do to try and remedy this. The first thing to try is to create a good environment for sleep. When you can't sleep you should also stop looking at the clock! Most insomnia is caused by stress, looking at the clock and counting the hours of sleep you can get will stress you out further. A trick that works for many people who can't sleep is to pretend that it is time to get up. It is hard to explain, but people often feel the most tired when they are not allowed to sleep. Besides that, herbal supplements can offer you relief when you can't sleep. There are many plants and herbs that have great soothing effects without harsh side effects. Trust in the healing powers of nature before using pharmaceuticals when you can't sleep and your body will thank you.

Many people recognize the heavily marketed product Xanax, but very few know the chemical name alprazolam. Usually used for the treatment of anxiety, alprazolam is sometimes used in the treatment of insomnia as well because of the effect high levels of anxiety have on sleep. While it is the first thing people think to try when suffering from anxiety related insomnia (and sometimes the alprazolam is the first thing doctors recommend as well) it should only be used as a last resort because of the side effects and dependency issues. Alprazolam gives an immediate and euphoric feeling to many of its users, and this also can result in addiction. For anxiety related insomnia, there are self relaxation techniques and herbal supplements which are far more effective than a lot of people give credit to and should be considered before the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Alprazolam can cause hallucination, loss of sex drive, blurred vision and many, many other things and should be considered your last resort.

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