VITAMINS/MINERALS
A good vitamin supplement, especially one rich in the B vitamins, will help reduce nervous tension and stress, and aid in sleep. However, this supplement should be taken early in the day. Vitamin B increases energy, and some people find it difficult to sleep if the supplement is taken too near bedtime.Minerals that aid in sleep are calcium and magnesium. Milk is rich in calcium, which is why a glass of warm milk at bedtime promotes sleep. A natural source of magnesium is seafood. Instead of a heavy evening meal of red meat, or even chicken, perhaps try a seafood salad or baked flounder.
HERBAL REMEDIES
Valerian depresses the central nervous system and is a good remedy for anxiety and insomnia. Passion flower is another herb recommended for the treatment of insomnia and other disruptive sleep disorders.Chamomile, taken as a tea before bedtime, has a very calming effect. It also soothes an irritated digestive system, which is often an aid to a better sleep. Kava kava is a mild sedative and can be used in the treatment of anxiety disorders and to promote better sleep. However, recent resarch warns that this herb may be harmful to the liver.
If you pay a visit to a health food store or an herbalist, you will find numerous herbal remedies made from a combination of herbs. Most of them will contain two or more of the herbs mentioned above.
SLEEPING PILLS/HYPNOTICS
These are all prescription drugs and they include tranquilizers and antidepressants. They may be prescribed if you have trouble getting to sleep. People suffering from insomnia, delayed sleep phase syndrome, and disorders that disrupt sleep like chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia may have an antidepressant or tranquilizer prescribed for them. These will usually put you to sleep, but you may wake up feeling dragged-out, drowsy, headachy, and this is called the hangover effect.A danger of many of these drugs is that they may be habit forming, or outright addictive. With a habit forming drug, it eventually becomes impossible (or at least your mind believes it's impossible) to fall asleep without taking your "pill."
WARNING: Almost any pill can become habit forming if taken long enough. The pills I am concerned with here, however, are sedatives. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines are in this class. Addiction, of course, can lead to a whole new world of problems.
Tranquilizers help you sleep by reducing stress and nervous tension. Valium or Diazepam is a very good example. Again, many of the tranquilizers are habit forming and/or addictive.
Side effects are also a danger, and an overdose of many of these drugs can be fatal. Never take any of these drugs when you plan on using or have been using alcohol. Mixing these drugs with alcohol could be fatal!
Other side effects include a rise in blood pressure, impotence and heart palpitations. You need a prescription from your doctor for these drugs. Never take them without your doctor's knowledge, and never take any medication that has been prescribed for someone else. Also, it's a good idea to check the date on prescriptions and never take anything that you have had for several months without checking with your pharmacist or doctor. Some people stock up or hoard medications and may be taking something they've had for a year or more. Some drugs lose their strength over time, but, even worse, some drugs, after a certain length of time, may become lethal.
Some medications help you stay awake and alert and again here I'm referring to prescription drugs. These are prescribed for people who suffer from narcolepsy, delayed sleep phase syndrome or other sleep disruptions that cause excessive daytime sleepiness.
The newest one in this class is modafinil. It's said to work differently from current agents such as dopamine and norepinephrine. And it has a more favorable list record of side effects than do the amphetamines. Modafinil increases alpha waves while decreasing delta and beta waves. Alpha waves are what our brains produce when we are wide awake and alert.
Although Modafinil has milder side effects, it still does have a few, like headaches, nausea, high blood pressure and heart palpitations. Always take it early in the day. If taken late in the afternoon, you won't be able to sleep when night comes.
