Nearly all people suffer from the inability to fall and stay asleep
at some time in their lives. It has been estimated
that three-fourths
of people suffer from sleeplessness on a regular basis for a long
period of time, at least three months. Sometimes people have no problem
falling or staying asleep but the quality of the sleep is so poor that
they wake up feeling unrested.
The effects from lack of restful sleep can affect your relationships,
health and even your career if left unchecked. Many
prescription medications are available to treat insomnia. However the side effects
associated with these medications may prove as harmful as not getting
enough high-quality sleep. Most of these medications are made with
narcotics and can be habit-forming and highly addictive, leading to
tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. People who take them often complain
of drowsiness or sluggishness the next day. In a few cases the side
effects can include headaches, dizziness, sore throats and muscle pain.
Follows is a summary of these dangers in greater details in order to
prove the need to find a better alternative to harmful prescription
sleep aids. The most harmful side effect common with prescription sleep
aids is the addictive nature of the narcotics used in these drugs. Very
quickly someone who takes these prescription medications for insomnia
can find themselves dependant on them for any sleep at all. OTC
medications have similar effects but the most dangerous are the sleep
aids prescribed by doctors. The only way to avoid the side effect of
dependency is to avoid using these prescription sleep aids. Another
problem with prescription sleep aids is that they are often created
using very strong drug formulas. In order to try and ensure the patient
a full night''s sleep, these medications are made strong enough to last
for at least eight or nine hours at a time. Sometimes it takes a while
for the sleepiness that these drugs cause to wear off, leaving you
tired and sluggish in the morning. It can take many hours after waking
for someone who takes prescription sleep aids to feel fully awake.
Eventually you will want to stop taking a prescription sleep medication
to help you sleep. Unfortunately, due to the addictive narcotics, this
can be difficult and lead to serious withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal symptoms can include:
Headaches
rebound insomnia
spells of dizziness
For this reason, the suggested dose of prescription sleep aids is
usually very small although it may be increased as tolerance to the
drugs becomes higher. Due to the dangerous nature of prescription sleep
aids, it is in your best interest to research natural over-the-counter,
or OTC, alternatives that do not contain addictive ingredients and have
no past history of habit forming in people who have taken the
medication long term. There are also lifestyle changes that may help
with sleeplessness that should be explored before turning to drugs of
any kind. Changes in diet and exercise habits may be enough to allow
you to get the high-quality full night''s sleep that you need.