It's true that alcohol will put you to sleep - it's called passing out in many cases - it's not a good choice for a sleeping pill. Although you do go to sleep, later in the night, sleep patterns tend to be disrupted. You may awaken or suffer from nightmares, walk in your sleep or be otherwise prevented from a peaceful night's sleep.
Another older insomnia remedy was laudanum. Laudanum is an opium based medication, highly addictive and dangerous. Morphine and other barbiturates are also in this class and are much too strong to be used as sleeping pills. They should be used only under close supervision.
Several herbal products, alone or in combination, have been and are used to promote sleep. Other over-the-counter products, including the natural occurring hormone, melatonin and Nytol, Sleep-Eez, and Sominex are also popular insomnia remedies.
Our rushed and sleep deprived lifestyle breeds sleep disorders, including insomnia. For the last few years, sales of sleep remedies has been on the rise, including both over-the-counter remedies and prescription drugs.
New drugs are coming on the market, it seems almost daily. Zolpidem, usually sold under the name Ambien is one such drug. Although Ambien will probably give you a good night's sleep, it's not recommended for long-term use and, in some people, can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting and even short-term amnesia.
A second drug, Zaleplon, is sold under the name Sonata. It works well for some people, but again, some adverse reactions can occur, including stomach upsets and daytime drowsiness. Both Ambien and Sonata, while not actually addictive, can cause a drug dependency where the user can't go to sleep without a pill.
Lunesta is a sedative. Again, there are side effects that might discourage its use, from strange dreams to confusion and lack of co-ordination.
Two new drugs, one already on the market, and a second still in the testing stage, may be the answer. Please continue to page two for more information.
Resources:
Society of Chemistry and Industry
