What You Need To Know About Taking Sleep Aids

Picture this: it’s late and night and you’re tossing and turning in bed. You’ve tried just about everything you can think of, but you’re wide awake and you’ve got to get up for work in a few hours. If you’re lucky enough to catch a few hours of sleep, you wake up with a sleep hangover, blurry-eyed and unable to clear your head.

If you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that 45% of Americans have trouble falling asleep.

There are all manner of sleep aids you can use or try, including many sleep aid supplements. But using them with caution is still the best policy. Sleep aids like Tylenol PM and Exedrin promote drowsiness in the brain, but some sleep aids can leave you feeling more tired, with a hangover effect. What’s more, sleeping pills can stay in your bloodstream, can increase the risk of accidents (due to drowsiness) and may impair your job performance.


Before you do anything drastic to catch some Zs, here are some things to consider about sleep aid supplements:

• Think about your sleep habits. If you’ve tried making behavioral changes and altering your daily routine, but you’re still suffering from insomnia, sleep aids supplements may offer relief.
• If you’ve got insomnia, think about why you’ve got insomnia. Maybe it’s a change in your work schedule. Maybe you’ve got anxiety over something going on in life. Whatever the cause of the insomnia is, if it’s short-term, sleep aid supplements may help you.
• Talk to a doctor about your insomnia and once the two of you have nailed down the source, he or she may prescribe or recommend particular sleep aid supplements that may help you sleep better at night.
• Keep in mind that aids like sleep aid supplements don’t replace healthy sleep habits. Ultimately, you want to practice good sleep habits and get back to getting a full, healthy night’s sleep. Using a combination of proper sleep hygiene habits and brain exercises hopefully can give you the eventual relief from insomnia that you’re hoping for.

With all of the above steps in mind, you’ll also want to use these tips to take things like sleep aid supplements safely:

• Talk to your doctor: This one is mentioned again because it’s important. Before you pop anything in your mouth, talk to your general practitioner about what types of supplements to take, when to take them and what the proper dosage is. Keep an eye on over-the-counter sleep aids too. There are plenty of options to choose from when you go to your local pharmacy, but they might not all be the right ones for you.
• Consider your usage: Things like sleep aid supplements should not be used forever. Your doctor should be able to give you a workable plan for how long you should take a sleep aid. Prolonged use of a sleep aid isn’t going to necessarily help you get back to getting a healthy night’s sleep. You’ll also want to make sure that you’re following the guidelines for whichever sleep aid you use.
• Non-medical aids: Sleep aids can help, but doing brain exercises, trying relaxation exercises and trying things to establish healthier sleep patterns are also critical in helping you get back to a regular sleep schedule and a fuller night’s sleep.

If you’re looking for a way to cure your insomnia, calcium supplements may provide you with some measure of relief. In many instances, a lack of important nutrients like magnesium and calcium can cause people to constantly wake up during the night and struggle to fall back asleep.

Studies have shown that the body’s calcium levels are higher during deep sleep or REM sleep. Calcium is important for helping the brain produce melatonin, the body’s natural sleep aid. You may not know it, but many of the dairy products you use every day contain both calcium and tryptophan, which both induce sleep.

If you’re suffering from insomnia and wishing you could do anything for a good night’s sleep, the best thing for you to do is talk to your doctor. They will be able to recommend short-term sleep aids that should help you with your problem. At home, you can order calcium supplements online and order Vitamin D supplements to help regain sleep naturally.