Nothing sounds better than taking a hot shower and going to bed after having a long, nerve-wracking day at work. Likewise, nothing sounds worse than going to bed and not being able to slumber knowing that you have to wake up in only a few hours to go right back to work. About one out of every five patients have a sleeping disorder. For some reason, the ratio seems to keep getting higher all the time. The most common sleeping disorder of all is Insomnia.

 

There are many reasons for not being able to sleep enough or even to sleep at all. In fact, some of the more usual reasons that people cannot get to sleep can emerge as medical troubles.

 

– Depression is one of the main factors that’s always related to Insomnia.

– Medical problems like pain and neurological troubles

– Heart disease and breathing problems.

– Urinary troubles with a frequent urge to void.

– Stomach disease might make it hard to fall asleep.

– Nasal congestion and sinus pain with other symptoms.

– Bipolar disorders and anxiety

– Stimulants like Caffeine of Theophylline

– Smoking affects sleep just like caffeine because of the Nicotine.

– Chronic distress

 

No matter what reason, Insomnia could have consequences that include being irritable, feeling tired or fatigue and memory problems. Going through all this before the doctor finally prescribes the magic sleeping pills makes it very easy to become dependent upon. But the side effects of sleeping aides could outweigh the benefit. Some of the side effects are amnesia or memory problems, dizziness, headache, nausea, and depression. Sometimes though a sleep-aid could be the only thing helping the patient, there are some goals that could be set to improve sleep habits such as:

 

– Try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day

– Avoid all stimulants during the day like Caffeine and Nicotine.

– Exercise regularly

– Don’t make it a habit to drink alcohol to help you sleep

– Don’t go to bed unless you are ready to sleep. If you are still up after 30 minutes, then get up and do something like reading or listening to music for 20 minutes before you go back to bed. You can do this as many times as it takes until you feel sleepy.

 

There are some over-the-counter sleep aids that’s proven to help many people like antihistamines, especially Diphenhydramine. It’s used mainly for allergies, but it’s also used as a sleep aid. Do not take any pills until after talking with a health provider to make sure it does not interact with any other medication. Also, the aid could affect a pre-existing health condition, especially in elderly people.

 

Another over-the-counter supplement is Melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone in the brain that controls sleeping activities.Taking Melatonin has helped many Insomnia patients, but it interacts with some medications like blood-thinners, immunosuppressant, some diabetes medications and birth control pills. Also,some patients complained of retina damage after taking too much of it. Valerian is another supplement used to help Insomnia patients.

 

Valerian is a plant that is used to help treat many diseases one of which is insomnia. It seems to help many people with sleep disorders and it doesn’t have the” hang over effect” that other sleep aids have. It’s believed to help with anxiety. Patients with liver disease should be very careful taking it and should consult with a physician before taking it. Valerian interact with some medications like allergy medications, Cholestrol medications, some anti-fungal medications and some cancer medications.

 

It’s always advisable that you try to adjust your sleeping habits before trying any medicines.

Have a good night!