sleep

[V. H. Hemmerich]

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Who needs to use a sleep aid and exactly what insomnia is, is quite relative to the person. Both age and the individual will determine the amount of sleep that is needed. If a twenty five year old is getting four and a half hours of sleep per night a sleep aid would most likely be recommended whereas if a seventy five year old is getting the same amount of sleep it would be much closer to the normal range. This is why insomnia is defined as a disturbance in regular sleeping patterns and a sleep aid will only be given if it is outside what is normal for that person. Besides taking a sleep aid you can try to exercise during the day (but not right before bed), you can flip the mattress or try to focus on pleasant relaxing thoughts. This does not always work and sometimes anxiety related insomnia has to be treated with a sleep aid. Even in this case a sleep aid with herbs such as St. John's Wort and Valerian Root are much safer than any prescription sleep aid.

Lunesta is becoming an alternative to benzodiazepines like Xanax and many people use it instead of Ambien as well. This does not necessarily mean that Lunesta sleeping pills are any safer or more effective than the pharmaceutical alternatives. Lunesta sleeping pills have side effects, addictive qualities and withdrawal symptoms like nearly every other prescription insomnia treatment. Lunesta sleeping pills have been known to cause hallucination, memory problems and personality changes. People who abruptly stop taking Lunesta sleeping pills commonly experience symptoms like tremors, nausea, and sweats. The addictive qualities of Lunesta sleeping pills should not be overlooked, and if you are going to take them you should keep in mind that they were designed for the temporary treatment of sleep problems. Even still, addiction, withdrawal and dependency can still occur even with very short term use of Lunesta sleeping pills. Generally, pharmaceuticals should be avoided and Lunesta sleeping pills are no exception.

Even though many people find ways to live through it, [kw]sleep deprivation[/kw} is more damaging than you might think. Irritability, drowsiness and slow reflexes and reactions are the most common symptoms that we see, because these symptoms can occur with very small amounts of sleep deprivation. Even such a small amount of sleep deprivation as missing a few hours sleep one night can make driving, operating power tools and machinery as well as general physical activity more dangerous. Sleep deprivation for longer periods of time is even more dangerous; it can lead to hallucinations, heart and blood pressure problems and in some cases actually causes hyperactivity. To go without sleep for more than ten days can even be life threatening. Sleep deprivation causes hormone changes, and sometimes this leads to dramatic weight gain over a short amount of time. I don't have to tell you to avoid sleep deprivation, nearly everyone would do that by themselves if they had a choice. The amount of sleep we get each night is not always within our control. Our surroundings, like noise and temperature, can cause sleep deprivation. Sometimes anxiety can cause sleep deprivation as well, and this generally only makes anxiety worse. If you feel you are suffering from sleep deprivation it is important not just to get help and use a sleep aid for the sake of your health, but possibly the safety of others.

Sleepwell