![]() Used for centuries as an herbal treatment for anxiety and insomnia, valerian root has a strong odor, but it is quite effective at inducing drowsiness. If your insomnia has turned you into a night owl and you’re trying to break a pattern of late-night alertness, take the supplement two hours before your desired bedtime. If you get tired on schedule but have trouble falling asleep once you’re in bed, take your melatonin supplement half an hour before bedtime. While melatonin side effects aren’t generally serious, high doses can cause headaches, irritability, stomach pain, dizziness, and nightmares. You’ll find melatonin supplements in doses ranging from one milligram to ten milligrams, but for most people, it’s best to stick with three milligrams or less per day. Levels of melatonin also tend to decrease with age, which is one reason insomnia is a common complaint of the elderly. Exposure to artificial light before bedtime, particularly the blue light emitted by cell phones, computers, and other tech devices, suppresses the natural surge of melatonin and can leave you sleeplessly staring at the ceiling. Normally, levels of melatonin increase in the evening, triggering a desire to sleep, and then decrease in the morning. Probably the best-known natural sleep supplement, melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland inside your brain. While antihistamines do indeed make most people drowsy, they don’t promote a truly restful or refreshing night of sleep, and can have side effects such as dry mouth and eyes, increased blood pressure, and medication “hangover.” It’s best to only use antihistamines for infrequent insomnia and only for a few nights at a time. If you purchase an OTC sleep aid, the active ingredient is usually an antihistamine, such as Benadryl. These are some of the most common ingredients. There is a dizzyingly wide array of insomnia busters on the shelves of your local drugstore or favorite online health shop. Other common causes of sleep disruption include the following:Ĭertain medications (including antidepressants, asthma medications, OTC cold medicines, blood pressure medications, allergy treatments) The most common, experienced by just about everyone at least on occasion, is too much stress or worry preventing you from relaxing into sleep. Sleep doctors diagnose chronic insomnia when the patient does not get enough sleep – despite trying – at least three times per week for at least three months. If you suffer from any of these on occasion or for less than three months, you have acute insomnia. Your insomnia might manifest itself as trouble falling asleep, difficulty in remaining asleep, or waking up too early. While all insomniacs struggle to get enough sleep, there are different versions of the difficulty. You undoubtedly know that insomnia means interrupted sleep, but sleep doctors define it in a bit more detail. What is insomnia?Īccording to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, around a third of American adults have at least occasional bouts of sleeplessness, while ten percent have chronic insomnia. ![]() A good night’s sleep is crucial not just for your physical health but also for your mental and emotional well-being. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |