Should I Consider A Sleeping Pill?

Once again you wake up exhausted. It was another night of tossing and turning. Nights like this are happening more often. It's hard to have a productive day when you didn't get enough sleep. You've seen those ads on television. Maybe you should get a prescription, too. How can you tell if it's the right decision?

A study in the journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that insomnia is a disorder of hyper-arousal. Our lives have become so fast-paced and we are constantly bombarded with information, our brains become over-stimulated and that affects our ability to sleep.

Before heading to you doctor, maybe you should make a quick evaluation of your lifestyle. Sometimes in our efforts to deal with a problem, we inadvertently make it worse.

In an effort to try to wind down at the end of the day, do you kick back on the couch and unwind in front of the television? Watching TV before bed can actually compound the problem. Television watching stimulates the brain, causing it to take longer to fall asleep.

Do you sometimes try the idea of a nightcap before bed? Alcohol causes drowsiness, so that's a good thing, right? Wrong. The effects of alcohol are short-lived and can result in waking up several hours later not being able to fall back to sleep. Also, alcohol interferes with the body's ability to reach the deeper stages of sleep.

If you like those evening snacks, you might want to take a closer look at what you're eating. Any kind of grains or sugar will raise your blood sugar level and that inhibits sleep.

Before going for a pill, try making these changes in your lifestyle instead. A few adjustments might be all that stands in your way of a good night's sleep.