Researchers have created sleeping aids or insomnia medications like Ambien, Lunesta, or benzodiazepines which may help you fall asleep or stay asleep for longer periods. These medications may also help improve the quality of sleep you get, although some medications may interfere with your REM sleep. Researchers believe REM sleep is critical to our health, so over time it is best you and your doctor try to find insomnia treatments that will help you fall asleep and stay asleep without interfering with your REM or natural sleep stages.
Sleeping Problems: More Complicated Than You Think
Treating insomnia is not as easy as most people think. Sure, you can buy an over-the-counter sleep aid, but this doesn't always help resolve insomnia. Everyone sleeps differently. Doctors and pharmacists can’t simply provide you with a prescription or recommendation for a sleep aid that will work for you all the time. In fact, it is almost impossible to predict how someone will react to a sleep aid, because everyone has their own unique chemistry and physiology.For example, children tend to metabolize sleep aids different than adults do. Doctors may need to prescribe smaller doses of sleep aids for seniors than younger adults. There is not one medication a doctor can prescribe that will help all people sleep well all of the time. Most prescription and OTC sleep aids provide general guidelines for improving sleep, but there are no guarantees that these medications will improve the symptoms of insomnia you experience.
Insomnia Relief: Treating The Underlying Causes Of Insomnia
Sometimes insomnia results from an underlying disorder. This is referred to as secondary insomnia. If you have secondary insomnia, most times a doctor can treat the underlying condition first.For example, people with depression, anxiety, chronic pain or arthritis may complain about insomnia. This may result from the disease or from the pain caused by the disease. You may even have trouble sleeping because of other medications you take for health problems like migraine headaches.
How do you know if your medication is to blame? Talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Find out what the common side effects are for any prescribed medication you take. If you find you can’t get to sleep, ask your doctor if he or she can provide you with a recommendation for a simple insomnia cure that will not interfere with your medical needs. If you have insomnia that is not resolved with prescription medications, you may have a related sleep disorder that requires attention. Many people mistakenly believe they have insomnia when they really have sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or other common sleep disorders. How do you know if your sleeplessness or sleeping problems are from insomnia or other sleep disorders? The only way to know for sure is to conduct a sleep study.
Why do you need to know the difference between insomnia and other sleeping problems? Because insomnia remedies are different from the treatments your doctor will prescribe for other sleep disorders. While you may be able to treat insomnia with simple lifestyle changes, you may need to treat underlying disorders with a combination of approaches.
Insomnia Relief: Insomnia Treatments Recommended By Your Doctor
Before you decide on any insomnia treatment, you will need to schedule an appointment with your doctor. Your doctor will review your medical history and come up with a plan of action that will help you decide what the best insomnia treatment plan is for you. Often a doctor will treat an underlying disease or disorder before treating insomnia. If insomnia persists after this, your doctor may prescribe a sleep aid for short-term use.The chances are high you probably don't want to take a sleep aid for a long period of time because many prescription sleep aids can be habit-forming, meaning with time your body becomes resistant to the effects of the medication. If this happens you will need a higher dose of sleep medicine to fall asleep over time. In other words, it is possible to become addicted or dependent on your sleep aids to fall asleep. This doesn't happen to all people, but it is a possible risk associated with some insomnia medications.
Fortunately, most of the time your doctor will not need to prescribe a sleep aid for a long time. Many doctors will help you discover the underlying causes for insomnia and work with you to treat them, and resolve your insomnia as a side effect of treatment. One of the steps you and your doctor will take is removing substances from your diet that can contribute to insomnia.
These may include any of the following:
- Foods with caffeine like chocolate
- Coffee or tea
- Tobacco
- Alcohol, which may make you sleepy initially but result in trouble sleeping later
- Pseudoephedrine and other decongestants
- Medicines like diuretics that make you have to urinate frequently at night
- Certain antidepressants that may have a stimulating effect, including some that are “dopamine antagonists” like Wellbutrin or Zyban
- Amphetamines
Remember, you may not have to take a medication to help you sleep better. If you find you suffer from acute or secondary insomnia, if you act quickly often you can resolve your sleeping problems in no time at all.
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