Sleep Aid – Helping to Cure your Insomnia
Sleeping is part of our daily routine and the benefits of a good night’s sleep are still being discovered, thanks to the endless amount of research that’s being done to understand the sleep state and how it affects our waking state. Some of us have a hard time turning off our mental engine and falling into a deep sleep without some help. There are countless remedies that promote sleep and most of them are available in any pharmacy. Over the counter sleep remedies are used to treat jet lag, insomnia, and to take the edge off in a nervous situation.
There are two basic types of sleep aids on the market; antihistamines and herbal remedies. Most antihistamines contain either doxylamine succinate or diphenhydramine hydrochloride. Products like Compoz, Tylenol PM and Sominex contain the diphenhydramine hydrochloride and Equate and Unisom contain the doxylamine succinate. Both of these ingredients are designed to inhibit neurotransmitters than affect the central nervous system. These ingredients are also used to treat allergies and that’s why allergy medications make you sleepy. Antihistamines tend to stay in the body longer than herbal treatments. A hangover effect seems to be a common complaint the next morning.
Herbal remedies have been around for centuries. Indigenous people used them to cure anxiety and restlessness. No one knows exactly how they work once they enter the human system, but they produce results. Passionflower, valerian root, chamomile and humulus lupulus are the most popular herbs and melatonin is also used as a sleep aid even though some people experience frightening dreams when they use it. Prescription sleep aids are available through a doctor, but they can be habit forming. Most of them contain benzodiazepines, which slow down the central nervous system. Xanax and Halcion are the most prescribed medications. Ambien and Sonata don’t contain benzodiazepines, but work the same way.
Over the counter sleep remedies work in different ways depending on the situation and the physical condition of the person taking them, but they all perform adequately when you do a little research. Some people prefer the herbal method, others claim antihistamines are best. It’s an individual choice based on your present mental and physical state. It always helps to get some advice from a pharmacist or a holistic healer.
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