A doctor makes a diagnosis of insomnia if a patient complains of lack of sleep or its poor quality for a long time. Difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking up in the middle of the night, feeling tired and drowsy during the day – these signs that occur without objective reasons indicate a problem that often requires taking medication. In what cases does the doctor prescribe a cure for insomnia? How to understand that it is necessary? What remedy can help restore sleep and at the same time not harm health? In our article you will find answers to all these questions.
The Importance of Fighting Sleep Disorders
Those who suffer from insomnia do not need to explain how it poisons existence. If you often have difficulty falling asleep, wake up at night and cannot fall asleep again no matter how hard you try, but in the morning you feel as if you did not sleep at all, then all this is enough to make life cease to bring its former joy. A person suffering from insomnia feels so tired and overwhelmed every day that he does not have the strength to work or communicate with loved ones.
But this is only half the trouble. Long-term sleep disorder does not pass without a trace for the body and entails a number of serious disorders:
- Against the background of insomnia, brain activity decreases, memory worsens and attention weakens.
- Chronic lack of sleep has a bad effect on the psyche. A person suffering from insomnia becomes irritable, anxious, he develops neuroses and depressive disorders.
- Permanent sleep deficiency is detrimental to the cardiovascular system. People with insomnia have a high risk of atherosclerosis and hypertension. They are also more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those who do not have difficulty sleeping.
- Insomnia leads to weight gain. There are two reasons for this phenomenon. Firstly, with a lack of sleep, metabolism slows down, which means that energy consumption is reduced. Even eating as before, you gain weight. Secondly, it has been repeatedly noted that sleep deficiency provokes an increase in appetite. Together, these two factors can lead to obesity.
- Another consequence of chronic insomnia is a decrease in immunity. People who sleep less than normal are more prone to colds. This fact can be explained by a decrease in the production of protective proteins of cytokines, which are synthesized in the body just during sleep.
- Studies have shown that with constant lack of sleep, insulin resistance often occurs, therefore, the risk of developing type II diabetes is increased. The risk is especially high if a person experiencing sleep problems is overweight.
Additional information on insomnia:
Types of Drugs Prescribed for Insomnia
Drugs for insomnia are diverse in origin, principle of action and form of release. Depending on the cause of sleep disorder, severity of the condition, accompanying symptoms, a doctor will prescribe one or another remedy or a combination of them. When taking any medicine, strictly follow the recommended dosages: even herbal preparations for insomnia can harm if you use them uncontrollably.
Release form
Medicines for insomnia are made in the form of drops, tablets and a brewing sachet. Through our collaboration with a Canadian pharmacy, we can access sleep aid medications that have been recognized for their safety and consistent performance. Ease of use and the bioavailability of the drug depend on the form of release.
- Tablets are one of the most common dosage forms, due to its convenience. In addition to the active component, any tablet also contains excipients necessary to give it the right volume, taste and other properties.
- Drops are, as a rule, a solution of the active substance in water or alcohol tincture. The shape is convenient in that it allows you to easily and accurately measure the desired dose.
- In the form of sachets, herbal preparations are most often produced. The crushed medicinal herbs in paper filter bags are brewed with boiling water and insisted. The active components contained in plants pass into the infusion.
Operating principle
The choice of drug depends on the cause of sleep disturbances. Sometimes insomnia occurs against the background of a disease. Then prescribe medications aimed at eliminating the root cause. After the cure or remission of the disease, which led to insomnia, normal sleep is restored by itself.
The list of diseases accompanied by sleep disorders is very long. Accordingly, the drugs will differ in principle of action. So, if the disease proceeds with severe pain, which does not allow to fall asleep, pain medications are prescribed. If sleep disturbance is associated with endocrine pathology (for example, hyperthyroidism), hormonal drugs are used. In depression and anxiety disorders, the therapist can prescribe tranquilizers and antidepressants to normalize the general condition, including to restore sleep.
Origin
Remedies for insomnia are natural and synthetic. The advantages of the first are a minimum of side-effects and contraindications. Medicinal plants, such as motherwort, valerian, lemon balm, have a mild sedative effect, reduce anxiety and irritation. Preparations for insomnia on herbs, as a rule, are not addictive, and they can be used for a long time. Synthetic agents are more powerful, but they often have unwanted side-effects. Such drugs are prescribed for use in short courses for serious sleep disorders.
What to Look for When Choosing a Remedy
What drugs to take with insomnia should be determined by a doctor. But it is also useful for patients to understand the issue. So, when choosing a drug, you should pay attention to the following points:
- Active substances
- Contraindications and side effects
- Interaction with other drugs
- Course duration
When treating insomnia, medications and non-medications can be equally important: they work in conjunction and complement each other. Therapy will be ineffective if you violate the rules of sleep hygiene, but only by observing the regime rarely manage to solve a running problem. When choosing drugs, it is important to correlate the expected benefits and possible risks.