sleep

[G. B. Miller]

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Herbal sleep aids are sold in health food store, pharmacies, online and through magazines. Many people suffer from sleep disorders and transient insomnia, though very few take advantage of the herbal sleep remedies available to them; either choosing to live with insomnia or use prescription drugs. Prescription drugs should be viewed as a last resort and living with a sleeping disorder should never be viewed as an option. Most of the herbal sleep aids you see on the shelves of pharmacies are far more effective than most people give credit for, and allow for natural sleep without side effects. In contrast prescription sleep aids like Valium and Ambien have many possible negative side effects and can be very addictive. Prescription drugs usually come with the possibility of overdose, and pharmaceutical sleeping pills are dependency forming, meaning that after a period of time the user becomes reliant on them for sleep. Herbal sleep remedies do not have dependency or overdose risks. For the sleep you need without the side effects you don't trust the natural healing power of herbal sleeping remedies.

Sleeping pills come in many different forms, but the two most common are benzodiazepines (sleeping pills like Ativan and Valium) and sleeping pills like Ambien. While they are usually effective in the treatment of insomnia induced by anxiety, they risks and side effects of prescription sleeping pills can be extreme and far outweigh the benefits. For example, Xanax has been known to cause hallucinations, blurred vision and sometimes even increased anxiety and depression, which exacerbates insomnia. Ambien sleeping pills also quickly induce sleep but still have a wide range of negative side effects. In addition, Ambien can cause an overdose and is suspected in the death of actor Heath Ledger. Because of all of this, prescription sleeping pills are generally not recommended and even doctors won't prescribe them for long periods of time. Herbal supplements and relaxation techniques should be used in place of sleeping pills wherever possible.

Many people recognize the heavily marketed product Xanax, but very few know the chemical name alprazolam. Usually used for the treatment of anxiety, alprazolam is sometimes used in the treatment of insomnia as well because of the effect high levels of anxiety have on sleep. While it is the first thing people think to try when suffering from anxiety related insomnia (and sometimes the alprazolam is the first thing doctors recommend as well) it should only be used as a last resort because of the side effects and dependency issues. Alprazolam gives an immediate and euphoric feeling to many of its users, and this also can result in addiction. For anxiety related insomnia, there are self relaxation techniques and herbal supplements which are far more effective than a lot of people give credit to and should be considered before the use of pharmaceutical drugs. Alprazolam can cause hallucination, loss of sex drive, blurred vision and many, many other things and should be considered your last resort.

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