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What Are The Best Sleep Medications?

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Not being able to sleep can be frustrating and it can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety in regards to your sleep. This leaves people no other option but to opt for sleep medications prescribed by sleep specialists. Here are some tried and tested medicines for sleep.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a natural hormone which is secreted when your body is tired and it needs to fall asleep. Melatonin induces sleep. But if your body is not producing melatonin due to insomnia, then there is over the counter medication available to induce sleep. Melatonin is the most natural medicine you can think of when you want to fall asleep.

Valerian

Valerian is derived from plants and it is added in a lot of sleep supplements. Since it is natural, it doesn’t have a lot of side effects to the body and it is also quite safe to consume. These supplements are available in any pharmacy and you can purchase them with a doctor’s prescription very easily.

Diphenhydramine

This is also a very common type of sedative, but it is a rather powerful one. Think of diphenhydramine as a powerful antihistamine. Like antihistamines, diphenhydramine sedates the person and the effect of sedation is very long, for about 7 to 8 hours. This can be taken, if you are desperate for sleep and cannot sleep under any circumstances. The side effects of this drug includes drowsiness, lightheadedness, absence of focus etc.

Benzodiazepines

This drug is also a very strong sedative and it has been used widely for sleep walking and for people who suffer from night terrors. It is a very addictive drug. It can cause a lot of dependence and if you get addicted to it, there’s no going back. You will not be able to sleep without one. So, it should be taken with extreme care because overdosing is very easy.

Precautions To Take When Consuming These Medications

Consult With Your Doctor First

These medications, although they do help a lot in sleep disorders, but they should never be taken without prescription or without the advice of your sleep doctor. These medications have a specific dosage and they need to be taken with a prescription. You must follow what your doctor suggests you do. If they suggest you take one pill when you don’t feel sleepy, then one pill it is. Don’t go overdosing yourself with sleeping pills, otherwise the results can be detrimental. You need to have a proper doctor’s prescription to purchase these medications and you should only consume those medications which the doctors have prescribed you. You cannot change the chemical yourself, you need your doctor’s opinion on it first.

Take As Prescribed

Overdosing on sleeping pills is very common. Mostly people don’t follow what the doctor says and in stress of being able to sleep, they take more medicine than the doctors have prescribed according to their body mass and tolerance. This can be quite dangerous and things can take a bad turn quickly. Make sure that you are following what the doctors say and not overdosing yourself with these medications. Sometimes, it takes time for one pill to kick in, so it is better to trust your doctor and do as they say. If the effect is still very minimal for a long time, then you can ask your doctor about it, then they will see if they have to increase the dosage or not.

Medication Is Not The Cure

Yes, sleep medications do work, but they are not a permanent solution. You can’t take sleep medications for the rest of your life. You need a proper treatment for your sleep disorder. Medication is just a temporary solution until you find a permanent one. One can easily get addicted to sleep medications and then, things can get quite dangerous for you. You need to make several lifestyle modifications in order to tackle your sleep disorders.

There you go! These sleep medications help to induce sleep so that you can have a good night’s rest without the worry of waking up in the middle of the night. Before any taking any medication or treatment option, go to a sleep study clinic for the diagnosis of your sleep disorder.

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