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By: Ronnie White
Over the counter sleep aids can help reduce insomnia. Over the counter sleep aid usage is linked with night-time falls and traumas in older adults. Sleep behaviors may include sleep-driving, driving while not fully awake.
Diphenhydramine may have the opposite effect and makes you excited rather than drowsy. For sleep relief, sleep in a dark, quiet room that isn't too hot or cold for you or perhaps a snooze during the day.
Sleep medications may help the problem at first, but discombobulation, unrest, and hallucinations may occur because they do not address the root cause of insomnia, they can become a crutch to lean on, rather than a remedy. Sleep medications are meant to provide temporary relief from insomnia, and not serve as a long-term answer.
It's 2am, and here you are watching another sleeping pill commercial on TV. It's hard to escape the marketing for sleep medications, if you have insomnia, you may be tempted to give them a try. Or you may see over the counter sleep aids in the drugstore. There is a lot of conflicting information about sleeping pills and their effectiveness. Learning about sleep aids and medications can help you make an informed option about treating your insomnia. In general, sleep medications are most efficient as a temporary aid, not a long term answer.
For chronic insomnia, a good sleep environment, relaxation, and behavioral techniques provide relief without risk of medication side effects.
Are sleep aids and medications right for you Over-the-counter (OTC) If you are taking other medications, sleeping medications can interact with them.
The thought of a pill that can solve your sleep problems quickly is very appealing. Unfortunately, sleep medications don't cure insomnia, and they can often make the problem worse in the long run, the use of both over-the-counter and prescription sleep medications include: Drug tolerance. You may have to take more and more of the sleep aid for it to work, which can lead to more side effects.
You may come to depend on the medication to sleep, and will be unable to sleep or have even worse sleep without it. There are several side effects to sleep medications, such as drowsiness the next day, confusion, forgetfulness and dry mouth.
There may be an underlying medical or mental disorder, or even a sleep disorder, that if treated would provide more relief from insomnia. Sleep medications are most effective when used sparingly for short term situations sleep medications are used briefly at the beginning of behavioral treatment for insomnia, especially if the sleep deprivation has been severe. You may need a different amount of sleep than before.
As with any medication, it is advisable to consult with your doctor before taking over-the-counter sleep medication. The main ingredient of over-the-counter sleeping pills is an antihistamine. histamine, a chemical messenger in the brain, promotes wakefulness, so antihistamine also has the effect of making you feel very sleepy.
Patients do say that antihistamines help them sleep better, but this effect has not been substantiated through research studies. The antihistamines used in OTC sleep aids can produce side effects.
Common side effects of OTC sleep aids a re drowsiness the next day dizziness and forgetfulness, clumsiness, feeling off balance constipation and urinary retention blurred vision dry mouth and throat.
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