Are you an insomniac? Try these methods instead of drugs for a better and safer sleep according to the NY Times.

Insomnia can be frustrating. There are many natural things you can do or take to help insomnia which may be preferable to prescription drugs.

Prescription drugs for insomnia which are known as sedative-hypnotics have a limited time benefit according to the NY Times and can cause more serious problems than they prevent.

Recently, the FDA had drug companies place warnings on the boxes of drugs such as zolpidem (Ambien), zaleplon (Sonata), and eszopiclone (Lunesta) because of reports of death from sleepwalking, sleep-driving, and engaging in other hazardous activities while not fully awake. While these effects only happen to a small percentage of those taking the drugs, they present a preventable risk and you may not be as well rested as you think you should be after taking them.

It is estimated that 20-30 percent of the population sleeps poorly and for 10 percent of the population it is a chronic problem.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy according to the NY Times is one of the best methods to treat the disorder.

Regulation of cortisol otherwise known as the sleep hormone is important as well since stress will affect cortisol levels which should be high in the morning and below at night. Ashwagandha is known to help regulate the adrenal glands and relax you so you can sleep better. It is found in Integrative Therapeutics Cortisol Manager and has no side effects.

Other substances such as valerian root are effective as a relaxant at night

Staying away from computer screens which can also act as a stimulant for the mind late at night can also help you get to sleep more easily.

Check out this NY Times article that offers great recommendations for improving sleep without resorting to drugs that may lead to undesirable side effects.

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Without Drugs

Alternatives to prescription drugs for insomnia offer better, safer, and more long-lasting solutions, experts say.

By Jane E. Brody
June 17, 2019

Shakespeare wisely recognized that sleep “knits up the ravell’d sleave of care” and relieves life’s physical and emotional pains. Alas, this “chief nourisher in life’s feast,” as he called it, often eludes millions of people who suffer from insomnia. Desperate to fall asleep or fall back to sleep, many resort to Ambien or another of the so-called “Z drugs” to get elusive shut-eye.

But except for people with short-term sleep-disrupting issues, like post-surgical pain or bereavement, these sedative hypnotics have a time-limited benefit and can sometimes cause more serious problems than they might prevent. They should not be used for more than four or five weeks.

In April, the Food and Drug Administration added a boxed warning to the prescription insomnia drugs zolpidem (Ambien, Edluar, Intermezzo, and Zolpimist), zaleplon (Sonata), and eszopiclone (Lunesta) following reports of injury and death from sleepwalking, sleep-driving and engaging in other hazardous activities while not fully awake.