Insomnia Drugs and Medications that work.

Insomnia Drugs or Insomnia Medications come in diverse forms.

Different medications work for different people and they have different side effects too.

It's a good idea (and common sense!) to reduce to a minimum caffeine intake at least two hours before bed. Also reduce the amount of food and liquids consumed so as to rest the digestive system.
An individual needs to be in touch with their natural rhythms and know whether they are a ‘lark’ or an ‘owl’. Then he or she can adjust sleeping rhythms accordingly. Make sure that medications that may affect sleep are not taken close to bedtime.

Insomnia Drugs or Natural Treatment.

A natural healthy way to cure insomnia is to exercise in the daytime (but not in the evening close to bedtime). This promotes oxygen production and so could just be going for a short walk or doing some yoga. However, a quiet restful time is advised for an hour or two before bed when quiet activities are recommended, such as meditation, prayer if religious  and reading or listening to calm relaxing music. One’s thoughts need to be kept positive and in perspective and it may be helpful to write down worries and problems on a piece of paper or notebook kept by the bed. It’s also important to make sure that one’s sleeping partner’s bedtime habits don’t clash with your own - especially if he or she snores, moves around a lot  and wakes you up! This is a difficult problem but can be resolved to some extent!  Be resourceful in seeking a solution.

Bring some regularity into your schedule, trying to go to bed and wake up at the same times. This must help as your body gets used to it.
Sometimes when you can’t sleep, perhaps waking at 2 AM yet again it might be a good idea to do something boring and repetitive such as dusting shelves – or counting sheep an age old remedy for sleeplessness! At least if it is impossible to get back to sleep you could read or write your novel, emails or study – or do some housework which will certainly make you tired enough to want to get back to sleep again!

Treatment Therapy and Insomnia Drugs.

Diphenhydramine which is found in brand names such as nytol, Sominex, Sleepinal and Compoz
Doxylamine (found in brand names such as Unisom, Nighttime, Sleepaid
The main ingredient of these short term insomnia drug is antihistamines. You can develop tolerance to them quite quickly in a few days. Side effects are daytime drowsiness and heavy feeling and they are not recommended for longer term use. Antihistamines carry worst side effects in older people too. So caution is advised with OTC sleep medications. Other side effects include forgetfulness, dizziness, problems with balance, clumsiness, urinary retention and constipation. It is therefore essential to seek medical advice before buying over the counter medications.

Insomnia Medications

Sleeping pills are called sedative hypnotics and they slow down the nervous system by working on receptors in the brain. In general they  enable you  to fall asleep and sustain sleep for some hours. Some types are more for getting to sleep in the first place and others for maintaining sleep. Others last longer in the system and these are said to have a longer half life. As with all drugs they do have side effects and some are more liable than others to become habit forming.

Benzodiazepine sedative hypnotics.

These are the oldest type of sleep medications in use and usually carry a higher risk of dependence than the newer types. They are classified as controlled substances and are becoming less frequently prescribed being replaced by newer formulations. FDA approved formulations include:
Estazalam (ProSom)
Temazepam (Restoril)
Flurazepam (Dalmane)
Quazepam (Doral)
Triazolam (Halcion)

Non Benzodiazepine sedative hypnotics.

These have fewer side effects than Benzodiazepine drugs and act more specifically on one area in the brain. Nevertheless they are listed as controlled substances despite having less dependency.
Eszopiclone (Lunesta) (Has been tested for up to six months in clinical trials)
Zalepon (Sonata)
Zolpidem (Ambien)

Melatonin Receptor against hypnotic.

This mimics the natural sleep regulating hormone Melatonin and is used to help people to get to sleep rather than maintain sleep. It carries little risk of physical dependency but does have some side effects, though not as much as other insomnia drugs.
Ramelteon (Rozerem)

Antidepressants used as insomnia medication.

This is the drug Trazodone (Desyrel) and is very popular in the US for treating insomnia even though it has not had the stamp of approval from the FDA. It has been shown to be effective for short term use but studies still need to be made to demonstrate if it is suitable for the long term. It may be suitable for those whose insomnia is caused by depression. Unfortunately as with most antidepressants it carries a risk of suicidal thoughts or severe depression. Others with similar features include amitriptiline (Elavil), nortriptyline ( Pamelor), nefazodone (Serzone). All these may cause extreme drowsiness on waking and a heavy feeling. However it is this drowsiness that can help those who regularly awaken in the middle of the night.

People who are taking a monamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) another  antidepressant, should avoid this medication. In fact avoid antidepressants in general if suffering from allergy to antidepressant drugs, have a history of heart seizures, an irregular heart rhythm, narrow angle glaucoma or kidney disease that causes retention of urine.
Antidepressants or other insomnia drugs prescribed for insomnia should be taken 30 minutes before bedtime. Doses for the  elderly should be adjusted.

Home Remedies for Insomnia

There are a number of natural remedies that you can find at home which often help with insomnia. Many work very well to induce relaxing sleep. Here are just a few:

A hot bath with lavender oil and a warm drink such as warm milk or horlicks, cocoa or ovaltine
Spray oil of soothing and relaxing lavender on your pillow at night.
Fill pillow covers with herbs such as lavender, peppermint, rose leaves and lemon verbena for a good night’s sleep.
Enjoy a soothing foot bath and massage your feet with aromatic foot or body lotion/cream. Peppermint foot cream is excellent!

Make a soothing tea of traditional sedative herbs such as valerian, hop, skullcap or passionflower and sip before bedtime. Another popular herbal tea or tisane is chamomile which can be sweetened with honey if required. Two chamomile teabags for one cup usually does the trick!
There are also foods which have sleep inducing qualities – these include lettuce, broccoli, dandelion leaves, spinach, carrot and beet. These can be shredded or grated, made into a salad and eaten before bedtime.

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