Sleep aids.
Sleep aids for Sleeping disorders
A lot of people are suffering from sleeping disorders these days, and it is quite common to find someone you know who has had at the very least one sleepless night. There are different reasons why individuals suffer from insomnia and the causes vary with your professional life as well. The reasons for a factory workers insomnia will hardly be the same as a person who travels across the globe a lot.
The inability to fall asleep naturally or to have a satisfactory sleep, at an hour when you are generally accustomed to sleeping is termed insomnia and it is one of the most common sleep disorders. Those who do suffer from insomnia, complain of symptoms like sleeplessness, interruptions in their sleep, a shorter period of satisfactory sleep, too much snoring and no sleep at all. There are symptoms which indicate sleep problems, before they start affecting your life in a major manner, which many people ignore as they are ignorant of sufficient information about the problems they are facing. As they are not aware of possible conditions which may arise out of their symptoms or they are not aware of what their symptoms are, they do not take adequate steps to rectify their sleeping problems.
Sleep aids for Adults.
It is important for those suffering from insomnia to find an appropriate aid which will help them to sleep naturally as repeated usage of drugs can be harmful for your body in the long run. The most common component of all natural medications which claim to induce sleep is melatonin. It is a naturally occurring compound which is produced within our bodies and other organisms like algae, which helps our body to determine when it is night and therefore induces our body to fall asleep. The levels of the melatonin hormone vary in our bodies throughout the day in a preprogrammed cycle and induce us to fall asleep when required. It is a required chemical agent to feel sleepy. For those who have trouble falling asleep, have a lower level of melatonin in comparison to other people, and they may require a supplement which contains melatonin to restore their bodily chemical balance and bring back the melatonin levels to normal. This will repair the biological clock and put you back in your natural sleep cycle and give you relief from insomnia.
One of the problems associated with melatonin supplements is that most herbal melatonin supplements available in the market contain more melatonin than the body actually needs, often three to ten times more. The level of melatonin is a crucial factor in determining the efficacy of a sleeping aid, as studies conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (more commonly abbreviated as MIT) have proven that excessively higher levels of melatonin are actually counter productive and reduce the chances of falling asleep even further, and getting the right quality of sleep at the right time. However, there is nothing to worry about as melatonin supplement pills have been available for a long time and has received a good consumer response as well. It helps to get rid of harmful free radicals and toxins within your body as it acts as an antioxidant. It also boosts the immune system as well. As melatonin is a naturally occurring compound within the body, it just increases your natural health and has no side effects as long as you dont overdose and keep track of the melatonin level in your supplements.
Sleep aids for Children.
It is not just adults who have sleeping problems, children have them too. Parents are advised to not ignore them as it can lead to further complications at a later stage in their lives. They may also be apprehensive about handing over adult medication to their children as well. There are, therefore, a few natural remedies as well as tips and tricks which they can use:
It is of importance to establish a firm routine for your child every night. It could revolve around a dinner, a bath, dressing for bed, prayers, bed time stories and other similar activities. Such a routine gives them a sense of security and helps to send a signal to your child that bedtime is approaching while doing these activities at home.
It is also advisable to avoid all energetic activities before bed time such as rough games or excitable events, and similarly all stimulating drinks like soda, tea and candy.
For those kids who are afraid of the dark, to ease their minds to enable for better sleep, you can install a dim night light.
You might need to seek the advice of a behavioral therapist or a child counselor if you find that the sleeping difficulties are related to disciplinary issues.
Music and Relaxation and Aromatherapy
Listening to soothing music is also an effective method of inducing sleep, though it is advised that all forms of classical music or tribal music would be more effective than heavy metal! You can also try soothing nature sounds which have been recorded for the express purpose of relaxation and relief from stress. A relaxed mind finds it easier to fall asleep.
Can Aromatherapy Help?
Aromatherapy tries to affect your mind, mood and body through herbal essential oils and help you to fall asleep as well. They help you to de-stress and therefore are an excellent nervous relaxant. They are effective for the prime reason that most of our sleeping problems are related to stress. Thus aromatherapy is a very good way of relaxing and falling asleep.
Many of the essential oils have sedative properties and that makes them ideal for use by insomniacs. The popular sedative essential oils are lavender, chamomile, and jasmine (which works as an antidepressant). Benzoin also has a sedative and relaxing effect on the nervous system.
There are also certain kinds of substances available like sedative hypnotics which work by suppressing the central nervous system which tend to make the user calmer, relaxed, sleepy and slow breathing. At higher dosages they may also induce slurred speech, impaired judgment, unsteady reflexes and a staggering gait. Doses of these substances tend to induce sleep rather than relieve anxiety at higher dosages. Classic sedative-hypnotics like alcohol are often much abused, and many of them can lead to unconsciousness or even death on over dosage.
White noise/sound conditioning machines.
The process in which, a comforting environment is created by using a white noise machine is known as sound conditioning. Sound conditioners, which are commonly known as white noise machines, are considered to be natural sleep aids for insomniacs or those who have trouble sleeping at night. Using it along with other natural sleeping aids can actually improve ones quality of life. .
Sleep aids for snorers.
Snoring can cause a lot of disturbance while sleeping. The loud noise of snores not only disturbs the partner of the snorer but in the quiet of the night, the snoring sound can affect other rooms of the house as well. Now days, there are a large number of snoring remedies available in the market. Some of the common aids for snorers include adhesive nose strips which help in keeping the nasal passage open, special pillows for snorers that help in proper alignment of the head etc. Often, people with severe snoring problems opt for a surgery, which has further contributes to rectifying breathing problems as well.
Herbs and alternative supplements- natural remedies for insomnia.
There are also excellent herbal remedies as an alternative to chemical drugs and melatonin. Certain herbs and roots when consumed in a tea form are recommended as sleep inducing agents. Herbs like chamomile and valerian root are often made into teas for their sedative properties. They do not have any side effects and are instantly effective unlike melatonin which needs to be consumed over a period of time. It can even be consumed regularly without side-effects to combat chronic insomnia.
OTC’s and sleeping pills .
Many people also take recourse to short-term usage of non-prescription over the counter (or OTC as it is often called) sleeping aids and these can temporarily help to solve sleep related issues, but they cannot and neither should these products be used for an extended period of time. It is important to find out the root causes of what is causing the insomnia and treat that accordingly, rather than simply taking over the counter sleeping aids, which will not solve the problem that is causing the disorder.
