It seems more people than ever are taking a sleep aid to help them drift off at night. Between over-the-counter sleep aids to prescription sleeping pills, sales of these sleep medicines are at an all-time high. You read about these pills all the time, and the harmful side effects they can have. So for the person who is trying to squeeze in a few more winks of sleep every night, what is the best sleep medicine?
Ironically, the best sleep medicine is no sleep medicine at all. Before resorting to a pill, try some simple lifestyle changes to avoid medicating yourself to sleep each night. Yes, a sleeping pill will help do the trick, but these medicines do have downfalls as well.
To start off with, a large majority of sleep aids are habit forming. If you think it is hard to sleep without them now, try falling asleep once you’ve formed an addiction! Making things even worse, as your body gets used to sleep aids, most of them become less powerful. It takes more pills to fall asleep, and they don’t act nearly as strong as they once did. This is a downward spiral, without addressing the underlying issue.
Sleep medication is best used not as a way to fall asleep every night, but as a short-term method of establishing a solid sleep pattern. You can use a sleeping pill to help you fall asleep at a set time each night. Once you have set your body to run on a proper circadian rhythm (the body’s internal 24 hour “clock”), you should discontinue use of the sleeping pill as soon as possible. This method is great, is not habit forming on any medication, and works with the body to establish natural, healthy sleeping patterns.
Avoiding caffeine during the day, getting a proper amount of exercise early in the day, and trying to get up at the exact same time every morning (which is more important than going to bed at the same time) will be far more effective than any sleeping pill will.
If at all possible, you should try to avoid prescription sleep aids. Many of them have prescription strength side effects – some of which are mind-altering. People have been found doing very dangerous acts in their sleep (sleepwalking) while on some prescription sleep aids. When possible, selecting a well known, over the counter product is usually the best way to go (and costs less, too!).
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