sleep

[Adam Colling]

For more information visit my sleep news, articles and reviews site.

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.

It seems you can get your sleeping aids in any form that you want nowadays. There are benzodiazepines like Valium, non-benzodiazepines like Ambien, and even barbiturate sleeping aids are still used in some cases. Some people self medicate with their own sleeping aids (mostly wine), but none of these are the best option available for getting sleep. What if there were cheap, effective, side effect free, nonprescription sleeping aids available? There are, and they come in the form of natural supplements. People are generally very skeptical of natural sleep aids, and herbal medicine in general; but there is actually a lot of real science behind most of it. The herbs used in natural sleeping aids are each carefully chosen for their calming effect on the body and mind. The natural remedies are much easier on your system than prescription sleeping aids and do not leave you feeling groggy the next day. Natural sleeping aids also take into account providing good sleep quality, whereas prescription sleeping aids only focus on making the patient fall asleep.

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.

herbal sleep aid