Sleeping Pills: The Downside

Millions of pounds are spent on sleeping pills in the National Health Service in the UK every year.

Sleeping pills are mostly effective if taken as a short-term solution or if the source of the insomnia is related to anxiety.

Unfortunately, many people, who suffer from insomnia for a whole range of different reasons, believe that taking medication is their only option to beat insomnia.

Sleeping pills or anti-anxiety drugs are often prescribed particularly if someone is going through a stressful situation such as divorce, job loss, change of home or bereavement.

However in the long-term, your body can become accustomed to the medication which then reduces or cancels out their effect.

The dosage may then sometimes be increased which runs the risk of creating dependency or addiction.

Withdrawal symptoms, after coming off prescribed medication, may also lead to high anxiety and further insomnia.

There can be a host of other problems too.

Some forms of sleeping medication, such as barbiturates, can suppress the REM (rapid eye movement) dream stage of sleep of the sleep cycle which is vital for our emotional and physical health.

Sleeping pills or sedatives can also disturb the body’s built-in clock and circadian rhythms.

People have been known to walk, eat or attempt to drive in their sleep after taking sedative-hypnotics.

There is also a condition called psychophysiological insomnia where the person affected worries obsessively about their inability to sleep, often taking drastic measures with different forms of medication in a desperate attempt to get some sleep.

Some prescribed medication can cause confusion, headaches, visual disturbances,  constipation or diarrhoea and balance problems.

So what are the alternatives?

Researchers in New York have found that, cognitive behaviour therapy for people who suffer from insomnia as a result of chronic back or neck pain or for psychological reasons, is more effective than taking sleeping pills.

Taking a holistic approach to beating insomnia is also more beneficial and long lasting.

With this method, you would take steps to naturally reset your body’s biological clock, reduce the stimulants and chemicals that keep you awake, eat foods that have naturally sedating properties, exercise at the appropriate times during the day and adapt your lifestyle (particularly if you work shifts or at nights) so that it supports your endeavours to get healthy natural sleep.

Learning to fall asleep naturally is the best long term solution to beat insomnia.

Watch a short introductory video about my holistic system for beating insomnia.

Insomnia: Dangers and Consequences

Here are 10 of the dangers and negative consequences that can be caused by lack of sleep:

1. Accidents – one in six car accidents are said to caused by fatigue. Industrial accidents or military fatalities caused by “friendly fire” have also been attributed to insomnia.

2. Poor performance at work: our ability to concentrate, to perform at an optimum and productive level, to retain information or to interact effectively with colleagues can be hindered by lack of sleep.

3. Depression – The latest research has shown that ongoing insomnia can lead to depression. One of the reasons is due to the fact that a prolonged lack of sleep can affect chemicals in the nervous system which can then lead to depressive episodes.

4. Addiction to sleeping pills or medication – Most people are prescribed sleeping pills or anti-anxiety medication to help deal with their insomnia problems. However this can develop into a habit upon which the body becomes accustomed and dependent. Often this can lead to addiction.

5. Obesity – Many people are surprised to learn that lack of sleep can lead to weight gain or obesity. This is because the hormones that are created when our sleep patterns are disrupted make us hungrier. One of these hormones is called cortisol, a stress hormone that also stimulates hunger.

6. Caffeine addiction – Sometimes when we can’t sleep at night, we attempt to survive on coffee and energy drinks to keep us alert and active during the day. This creates a vicious circle. Caffeine stays in your system for up to five hours, meaning you won’t get to sleep again when the night comes.

7. Mood swings – If we miss out on certain stages of our sleep cycle, we are liable to be cranky and irritable. Our brains are not producing enough of the chemical (serotonin) that helps to regulate mood, appetite and memory. At the extreme end of the scale, increased paranoia, aggression or anti-social behaviour can result.

8. Heart problems - Caffeine also speeds up the rate of your heartbeat – an elevated heartbeat can contribute to insomnia. Conditions may arise such as tachycardia, where the heart beats unusually fast and then struggles to pump the blood around the body.

9. Premature ageing – Going without sleep for a prolonged period of time can have a huge impact on how old you look (bags or dark circles around the eyes) and affect your facial complexion.

10. Hallucinations – going without any sleep at all for several nights in a row can lead to hallucinations or psychotic episodes.

Our bodies perform vital tasks while we are at rest, such as repairing and regenerating our body’s systems. We can’t live without sleep.

Natural healthy sleep is the best way for the body to do its job and the best way for you to function effectively in your day-to-day life.

Are you struggling with stress?

Stress is one of the main causes of insomnia. Get free stress busting techniques over the next 7 days to help you in your fight against insomnia.

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Insomnia: Four mistakes which prevent sleep

Here are four mistakes that people make which prevent them from falling and/or staying asleep:

1. Drinking alcohol before bedtime

You may fall asleep very quickly but you’ll sleep restlessly and wake up too early feeling drained due to dehydration caused by the alcohol.  Drinking alcohol to induce sleep is also one of the factors that can contribute to the development of sleeping disorders.

2. Using a night light

This interferes with the chemicals in your brain that create the physiological conditions that helps your body to sleep

3. Drinking coffee in the late afternoon

Caffeine will stay in your system for the next five hours.   Caffeine speeds up the heart rate.  An increased heart rate will keep you awake.

4. Temperature

A high room temperature will keep the body awake.  On the other hand, cold feet and poor circulation can keep the body awake too.

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Can’t Sleep?

Do you want to fall asleep as soon as your head touches the pillow?

Would you like to sleep for six to eight hours a night?

Do you wish you could get rid of those bags under your eyes and look and feel younger?

Are you fed up of feeling exhausted and stressed but not being able to sleep?

If you relate to any of these questions, then you may be interested in my new ebook Banish Insomnia Now which will be available very soon.

If you sign up for the Early Bird list, you will get the book at a discounted price during the first 7 days that the book is available.

To get on the Early Bird list, simply enter your email address below and you will also receive free information and sleep aid tips to help you beat insomnia.