Way back when, sleeping pills were always used to treat insomnia but today they would be considered for short term insomnia but not for chronic insomnia. Chronic insomnia is ongoing insomnia that persists for one month or more. Sleeping pills are not considered for chronic insomnia because they have side effects and they lose their efficiency after they are taken for any length of time.

Benzodiazepines would include Ativan, Xanax, Restoril, and Dalmane. Their job is to promote sleep and they do so by suppressing the activity of the brain. These have been known to be effective for treating short term insomnia as they reduce the amount of time that it takes to fall asleep, they decrease the number of times that one awakes during the night, and also allows the user to sleep longer.

It would be fair to say that this classification of drugs has about the same effect but they are not the same when defining how long each remains in the system. Those that remain in the system longer have a tendency to make people feel sluggish and tired the next day.

Like most medicines Benzodiazepines can be of value if they are used judiciously. They should only be used as a treatment for short-term insomnia that lasts anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, e.g., if sleep is temporarily disturbed by a stressful event, a medical problem, or jet lag.

Benzodiazepines should always be used for a very short period of time. Taking them for a long time can cause many problems and people risk becoming dependant upon them. People actually get to the point where they believe that they can’t fall asleep without them. They can also result in rebound insomnia and anxiety problems.

Benzodiazepines lose their effectiveness as well. Newer-generation non-benzodiazepine sleeping pills such as Ambien offer multiple advantages over traditional benzodiazepines. Ambien does not accumulate in the system after repeated usage; it kicks in about thirty minutes and has very minimal side effects. There is a very low risk for abuse than with the benzodiazepines.

Regardless of the sleep aid that you decide on there are a few rules of thumb when you are taking any type of sleeping pills. Use the smallest possible dose and do not use it for more than two to three weeks at a time. You should not use a sleeping pill more than two to three times per week. Use cognitive-behavioral techniques in conjunction with sleeping pills so that you can taper the use of sleeping pills over time.

The benefits and risks associated with sleeping pills have been a controversial topic for decades. People that use sleeping pills regularly allow themselves to become vulnerable to a multitude of medical risks. New and improved sleeping pills are hitting the market all the time. While it is true that the sleeping pills that are offered and prescribed today do not carry the same properties that can cause dependence, there are other risks to consider. People that have certain medical conditions are at a higher risk especially those with liver and kidney disease.

Lunesta is a relatively new sleeping pill that has been released to the marketplace but if you have a history of drug or alcohol abuse, depression, lung disease, or a condition that affects metabolism. While it is also true that Lunesta is the sleeping pill that can be taken for the longest period of time you should also know that stopping the drug suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, unusual dreams, stomach and muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, sweating, and shakiness.

Rozerem is also a prescription sleeping pill that many like but there are drawbacks involved such as those who have a history of kidney or respiratory problems, sleep apnea, or depression. Rozerem is not like to cause dependency but it can have some adverse effects if mixed with alcohol.

Sonata can also be habit forming and should not be taken by anyone that has severe liver impairment, is pregnant or has a history of depression, liver or kidney disease, or respiratory conditions.

Ambien has a tendency to not be quite as effective if it is taken for longer than two weeks. Those with a history of depression, liver or kidney disease, or respiratory conditions should also not take Ambien without the permission from their physician.

How a drug is going to effect a person depends on many things such as the amount that is taken at one time, the user’s past drug experience, the manner in which the drug is taken, and the circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user’s psychological and emotional stability, the presence of other people, the simultaneous use of alcohol or other drugs, etc.).

With tranquilizers when taken as prescribed they will relieve anxiety, induce a loss of inhibition and a feeling of well-being. Some people though report lethargy, drowsiness, or dizziness. Mostly, there are very few side effects. Obviously if the dose of a tranquilizer is increased the sedation will too and if it is decreased it would do the opposite. Normally for the elderly or people that have certain diseases they will be given the lower dosages.

The risk of dependency increases if tranquilizers are taken regularly for more than a few months but in some cases it does not take that long at all. Once benzodiazepines are stopped one should expect some degree of withdrawal. Some benzodiazepines slowly eliminate from the body while others such as Valium take a bit longer to disappear.

Some of the other sleep related conditions are sleep apnea, Narcolepsy, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), advanced or delayed sleep phase syndrome, dreams, nightmares and night terrors, sleepwalking and talking, and sleep paralysis. The reasons of sleep apnea include being obese because it causes deposits in the throat that block air passages, swollen tonsils and adenoids which will block the airways. Snoring is a warning sign that indicates one may be a victim of sleep apnea.

It is the leading cause of daytime tiredness, beat only by obstructive sleep apnea. Usually, people are concerned with health and other lifestyle issues. Sleep apnea is periods of breathing in the night time sleep happen hundreds of times during the night. Everyone dreams, but many do not remember their dreams. Often it starts in when someone is very young. Narcolepsy is a very common problem. It affects thousands of people in the US alone.

Narcolepsy causes people to just fall right asleep during the day or any time at all. Acid Reflux Disease or heartburn is when stomach acid moves up into the esophagus. Stomach acid produces spasms in the throat that block the air flowing into the lungs. Finally it is being acknowledged and taken seriously by both people and doctors. People that have advanced sleep phase syndrome become irresistibly sleepy a little earlier every evening and wake up a little earlier every morning, completely throwing the system off the sleep patterns.

Short-term insomnia can last from a few days to a few weeks. Insomnia falls into one of three categories: transient insomnia which lasts only a short time. Stress or bad sleep habits can induce this. Sometimes dreams can turn really scary. The list of sleep related disorders is very great. This type of insomnia causes excessive daytime sleepiness, poor concentration, memory loss and irritability. The medical terminology is nocturnal myoclonus. Sleepwalking and talking are disorders that frequently interfere with sleep. Most often people think insomnia is like a sleep disorder but actually insomnia is only one of many.

It’s usually caused by some outside factor such as sleeping somewhere strange. Chronic insomnia is a big problem. Solve the problem, get rid of the stress and your sleep will be back on track. Chronic insomnia can last for many years. Simple tasks are done on auto pilot and usually the person may have no recollection of them. In the long term, lack of sleep causes more serious health problems.

With all of the insomnia cures that are available today there is no reason for anyone to suffer from insomnia any longer.

Bipolar disorder was previously known as manic depression. Bipolar disorder displays energized moods and a general sense of depression. Mood changes come on out of no where and are very unpredictable. The length and the strength of the mood swings can vary. People with bipolar disorder have a tendency to commit suicide much more than people that are suffering from other kind of depressions. This disorder cannot be cured but it can be managed with the help of medication.

Depression is a state of sadness that gets to the point of altering a person’s social living as well as their activities of daily living. The treatment of depression varies from person to person. Medication and psychotherapy are the two common forms of treatment, often used together. When the conventional treatments don’t work, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) might be tried. Alternative treatments to depression include exercise and the use of vitamins, herbs or other nutritional supplements.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that displays an exaggerated ego and personality problems that create social problems. An effective treatment for the symptoms of this disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Psychological sleep disorders can lead even to serious mental illnesses such as psychosis, if not well attended for.

There are a variety of behavioral treatments are for use in treating insomnia which, when used regularly will be as good as use of medicine but there are no further consequences or ill effects. Relaxation works nicely too such as biofeedback, muscle relaxation exercises, meditation, or even hypnosis can be learned and can be very effective. Cognitive therapy is very effective when trying to treat insomnia. This is because it sways off unwanted thoughts including that of anxiety, allowing sleep. Many times people that suffer from insomnia subconsciously and when they get into bed they automatically think they can’t fall asleep.

Cognitive therapy would then recommend that when faced with this situation you should immediately get out of that bed and go somewhere else in the house and do something mellow and non stressful until you feel sleepy again. The night before, you must have a predetermined wake up time set, regardless of the amount of time that you have slept. It is very important that you get up when the time comes. Part of this therapy instructs that you must limit your sleep time at first and then you can slowly add more hours a little at a time.

Psychologically, your bed must only be for sleeping and being intimate. Make sure that are wearing nice and loose fitting clothes when you go to bed and that the temperature in your room is comfortable. Watch what you eat, especially before bed. Finally, try to eliminate your stressors.

So what do I do or plan on doing now? I refuse to take any medication as that didn’t seem to help or if it did made me completely useless the following day. I decided to use this “extra time” to my advantage.

When it’s a day that I couldn’t fit my workout in? Guess what? I get up, get dressed and go for a brisk walk. I force myself even though I ‘fee’ tired. If it’s a day that I didn’t clean something I wanted to, I get THAT done.

Laundry is no longer an issue as that the easiest thing to wake up and do in the middle of the night without disturbing anyone else in the house! Surprisingly, once I start doing any of these things I start to feel like I can really really fall asleep and not just “tired laying there” sleep…

So now I get things done and then get right back to sleep utilizing the time much better. If I sleep just 4 hours after a cleaning spree at least it’s a good 4 hours of solid sleep, PLUS got some things done! Otherwise it would be 4- 7 hours of simply tossing and turning!

When I go to bed, I often find it difficult to relax. I toss and turn; feeling tired but can’t drift off. If I can’t fall asleep in an hour or so, I tend to turn on the light and read for a while.

I usually have some kind of soothing history book beside my bed for this purpose. Because I have an aversion to taking prescription sleep medication, I have not consulted a doctor about this problem.

However, I do sometimes take natural sleep remedies, drink something soothing such as peppermint tea, or take a hot shower. These things tend to help. I think my insomnia is exacerbated by the work I do on the computer in the evening.

I tutor online because that is when students need help with their homework. I have to stay alert to help them and this mental activity translates into insomnia later. Other times, I have to tutor in the small hours of the morning and then it is difficult to get to sleep afterward.

Very occasionally, I wake up at dawn and have trouble getting back to sleep. I attribute this to the newspaper delivery. As I grow older, I am a lighter sleeper and noises tend to wake me up.

Despite the fact that he is delivering the paper at 4:20am, the newspaper man makes no effort to be quiet. When I talk with my friends, I find they have similar problems. The economy is on the minds of a lot of senior citizens and our worries are disturbing our sleep.

First of all, I have difficulty falling asleep even if I am bone tired. Then within one hour of falling asleep I wake up and have to go to the bathroom. It never fails. Sometimes I can fall back to sleep right away but that is rare and most times I toss and turn for at least an hour before falling back to sleep.

Things that help me sleep more soundly are going to bed with an empty stomach so that I do not experience reflux which will wake me up and keep me awake. When I really just cannot fall asleep I try a bunch of different things.

I will try to watch some TV or read a magazine for a bit until I feel I am getting groggy again. Sometimes I take a hot, relaxing shower even if it is the middle of the night. I am not one to take drugs and medications unless it is really necessary so I refuse to take sleeping pills.

I have spoken to my physician about this and we suspect that I have sleep apnea but my insurance will not pay for a sleep study so on it goes. It is frustrating but there is not much I can do about it except try to lose weight at this point.

Around my 20th birthday I experienced a lot of changes in my life. My parents divorced after 33 years of marriage, my family home I loved so much was sold, my family moved to different parts of the state, and I wasn’t used to being so far from them.

At 21 I married my husband, we moved into our own home, and at 23, we had our first baby, a beautiful girl. So within those couple of years, I have gone through quite a bit of craziness. I remain happily married, and my daughter is a toddler now, and although things are starting to feel quiet and normal again, I still don’t notice a change in my sleep behavior.

I really do attribute my sleeping difficult to the stressors of my life. I also attribute it to the fact that I suffer from high anxiety and panic attacks. I do take medication, but there are times that I am on edge, and unable to relax, and it really is difficult for me to get into a “sleeping” state of mind.

I have talked to my doctor about my sleeping troubles, but have refused medication. I would rather approach the problem on my own, and use sleeping medication as a last resort. There are some things that DO help me get to sleep, I use white noise (a blowing fan, sound spa machine) in the background and leave it on all night.

This helps me to relax. Before bed, I like to take a warm shower, and I use bath products with chamomile and lavender, which are said to aid in relaxation. Sometimes my husband will give me a back massage to wind me down, and I often like my bedroom temperature to be on the cooler side when I sleep.

If I notice, while lying in bed, that my mind is racing with thoughts about my busy schedule, family life, stressors, etc, I rechannel my thoughts and try to focus on soothing things, such as cascading ocean waves, or the breeze whispering through the trees.

I hate not being able to fall asleep, especially because I know that I won’t feel physically good in the morning. Without sleep I will have baggy eyes, feel groggy and less motivated than I would on a full night’s rest.

There are nights that I am lucky and get enough sleep to get me through a day, and there are nights that I am unable to sleep at all. Perhaps someday I will need to use medication, but for now, I am content in continually trying my own methods to get myself some zzzzz’s.

I still did really well in school, but I wonder how well I could’ve done if I were receiving a full night’s sleep. Lack of sleep is frustrating, almost panic-inducing. I look at the clock and think, “Five more hours till I have to get up…Four more hours…Two more hours…”

And as each hour creeps by, I get more and more panicky about having to face the day with no sleep. Sometimes listening to talk radio helps me fall asleep, or putting the TV on CNN. I’ve recently discovered audio books - if the voices reading the novels don’t put me to sleep, at least I’m learning something!

I do take medication for my insomnia. I’ve tried Klonopin, Lunesta, Trazodone, and I am now on a low dose of Xanax, which seems to help the best (although it’s not helping tonight, it’s 1:01 am!).

These meds are prescribed to me by a psychiatrist. What causes my insomnia? We’re not sure. It’s probably linked to the depression that I’ve suffered from most of my life (also on Paxil for that), and honestly, I think it’s just the way my brain is- it fights against sleep when it’s supposed to be sleeping.

I get up and play on the computer when I can’t sleep. If I’m REALLY wide awake, I read. I’ve read over 170 books so far this year, so you can probably tell how much I’ve slept…

After working several days in a row with crazy hours I tend to need extra sleep on my first day off. I have a hard time sleeping also when I know I have to get up early. I think I worry about the alarm not going off or oversleeping and being late so I sleep really light and wake up all hours of the night.

When I was little I couldn’t go to sleep without the radio on. I got out of this habit for a while when my children were babies but now that I are older I’ve taken to leaving the TV on. I usually can’t go to sleep without it on but I have to have the volume turned down low where it fades in to a sort of background type of noise. If it is too loud when I’m trying to sleep then it will disturb me.

Sometimes however there will be something that I really want to watch and I will sit down to watch it and fall asleep especially if it is late in the evening and I’m really tired. It seems to more I want to watch something to more likely I am to fall asleep. Isn’t that weird?

I also find if I absolutely can’t sleep sometimes eating something sweet and drinking a cup of milk will somehow help me to sleep. I think it is brought on by hypoglycemic symptoms actually and after I eat the sweets it makes me sleepy instead of giving me a sugar rush.

I have trouble sleeping some times when I get a lot of things on my mind. Like the bills and issues with my kids and my ex husband and things like that. Well another reason the TV helps it kind of drowns out all chatter in my brain that is keeping me awake.

My husband and I refer to that chatter as hampsters because of a song we heard called death to hampsters which was about that very subject.

I have a medication that I take once a week and I find that the day after I take it, I want to sleep longer and I will sometimes add a full extra hour to my sleep pattern. I have always said that the reason I do not sleep a lot is because I am so afraid I am going to miss out on things!

I am a night owl and stay up until two or three in the morning and get up later in the day. This works because for many years I worked from my home and could set my own hours. I don’t usually have any trouble falling asleep but if I do I will sometimes take one or two Tylenol and that will put me to sleep in about a half an hour.

I will also “entertain” myself by thinking of songs that have certain words in them. I’ll pick a word (like shoe) and then try to think of lyrics containing the word. This passes the time and while I am still thinking away, I have a fallen asleep.

I am a very light sleeper and I do like it quiet before I fall asleep. I don’t like the radio on or the television and if my husband is snoring in my ear, I nudge him until he turns over! Once asleep, repeated noises will wake me up and I am always the one to hear the telephone.

I think the amount of sleep I get is probably just enough. Sometimes I might wish it was more but then I decide that six hours is a respectable night’s rest and maybe when I am a little older I will be able to sleep longer.

Sometimes I think that we overload our brains with too many things going on at once and that is why some of us have a hard time falling asleep. We were not made to have so many electronic gadgets on at all times making sleep a try luxury instead of the healing process it is.

We all need a little time away from all the noise and confusion of today’s world and we should make our sleeping time the part of our lives where we ‘regroup’ and energize our minds and bodies through relaxation.

I actually love sleeping and have very vivid dreams, which I seem to remember in great detail. I have read that sleeping and dreaming is the mind’s way to help solve the problems in your daily life but if this is really true, I must have some very strange problems!