So, what can you do if you just can’t sleep and need some help? There are several medications that could help. I recommend these natural ones.
Melatonin has been shown to help people FALL asleep. You will become tolerant in several months so best not to use it every day or for long periods of time.
Try tryptophan to stay asleep. Tryptophan is the amino acid in turkey that is famous for putting non-vegetarians to sleep on Thanksgiving (it’s not the football games)! If your problem is not getting to sleep but staying asleep, then this is something to consider. Once again this should not be a long-term solution.
Both melatonin and tryptophan are natural supplements that come in pill form that can be purchased in the natural health section of most stores or on Amazon.
Try to avoid prescription medications such as Ambien as they can become addictive and are known to have harmful side effects—such as memory loss, daytime fatigue, depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts
Medical Conditions That Cause Bad Sleep
Now if you still can’t sleep or have bad sleep there are several medical conditions that you should be aware of.
If you wake up because you can’t breathe you may have congestive heart failure. Laying down causes more fluid distribution blocking more of your lung surface and more shortness of breath. This is called paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND). Go see your doctor for a solution because this is serious.
You might also suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. Are you overweight, do you snore, do you nod off when you sit down, do you not feel refreshed after sleeping? If so, then you may have sleep apnea and could benefit from a CPAP breathing machine and from weight loss. To determine if you have sleep apnea, see a doctor and schedule a sleep study which will determine how bad your sleep apnea is and whether you need a CPAP machine or not. Some mild cases of sleep apnea can be helped by an oral appliance, which is a mouth-guard type device that keeps your lower jaw in a forward position and keeps your tongue from falling back and causing an obstruction. Oral appliances can be obtained from a dentist, not a doctor so Google a dentist who can make one for you if your dentist can’t.
Remember, Good Sleep Equals Better Health. In the end, if you aren’t sleeping well, learn as much as you can about this topic and develop a strategy to get better sleep. The simple act of getting good sleep will help you eat better, get healthier and perform better mentally and emotionally throughout the day.
Sweet dreams everyone!
(Submitted by Betty Dean. Written by Harvey Hahn, MD, FACC. Used by permission from www.lifeandhealth.org Courtesy of LifeSpring – Resources for Hope and Healing Stuart, VA)
