INSOMNIA MEDICAL TREATMENT

Are you having problems falling asleep? Are these problems ongoing and recurring?

Do you wake up feeling tired?  Well, all three indicate that you are suffering from insomnia. Insomnia is basically characterized by difficulty in both falling asleep and maintaining a full night of sleep.

If you have problems sleeping through the night and wake up feeling tired for a month or longer, you should immediately visit your doctor to find out what is causing your sleep disorder and how it can be treated.

Your doctor may recommend you some self-help measures like changing your daily routine, but, if in case they don’t work and you believe that your insomnia is caused by depression or anxiety, you should notify your doctor or health care provider. Your doctor may recommend many treatments such as behavioral therapies or sleep medications to help you fall asleep with ease and wake up feeling rested:

Behavioral therapies

Behavioral treatments are the treatments that teach you new sleeping behaviors and show you how to make your sleeping environment more comfortable to sleep in. Some studies have shown that behavioral treatments are more effective in treating insomnia than any other sleep remedies. However, behavioral therapies can be used in combination with other remedies such as medications.

Medications

Considering the problem of insomnia, your doctor may prescribe you with sleeping pills until the stress in your life lessens and you can get the full benefits of behavioral treatments. Some of the common types of sleep medications prescribed to patients suffering from insomnia include:

• zolpidem (Ambien)
• eszopiclone (Lunesta)
• zaleplon (Sonata)
• ramelteon (Rozerem)

However, due to the side effects and the possibility of becoming dependent on sleeping pills, doctors often don't recommend people suffering from insomnia to use sleep medications for more than a few days. Many sleeping pills may even cause discomforts, such as drowsiness during the day and difficult urinating because of chemical diphenhydramine.

Alternatives to Sleeping Pills

Melatonin is a common over-the-counter supplement which is used to treat insomnia. Melatonin is naturally produced by your body and released in your bloodstream in high amounts during the evening to regulate your sleep-wake cycle.

However, people suffering from insomnia may take synthetically produced melatonin which is useful to promote sleep during the night.

Antidepressants - These agents are often prescribed by the doctors as sleep aids in those with co-existing psychiatric problems. The most commonly used sedating antidepressant in the case of insomnia is trazodone.