Most of us go through spells where we find it difficult to get a good quality sleep, and it is hard to operate normally, and the temptation can be strong to take something just to get a little sleep. However, over the counter medications or prescription sleeping tablets, may cause more problems than they help. They can cause addiction if taken too often, while some of the side effects are not pleasant, things like grogginess the following morning, which when you are already suffering from lack of sleep really isn’t good.
However, there are other sleep treatments options which are non-addictive and can help you sleep, while they do not have the nasty side effects that drugs can have. Naturally, before you try anything, you should make sure that you are not affecting your sleep by exercising right before bed time or by taking in too much caffeine, without knowing it. Not every one realizes how many products do contain caffeine, things like soda and chocolate, as well as the well known sources of tea and coffee. You can also find caffeine in some cough syrups, and other over the counter medications.
Avoiding sugary products towards the end of the day is a good idea too. Sugar can give you an immediate burst of energy, followed by a rapid drop in your blood sugar level, which could wake you if you had managed to get to sleep, and it could also leave you feeling hungry.
For years, Valerian, a herb has been used to promote a healthy sleep. Although its properties are not fully understood, it is not thought of as addictive, and it doesn’t leave you groggy the day after, although some do say it makes them a little dizzy, or have headaches, even some indigestion or heart palpitations. Apparently, because of possible risks, it should not be taken before or after surgery. Valerian should be taken about one hour before going to bed, and may take a couple of weeks before it becomes effective.
The natural hormone Melatonin is found in the body, and it is often used to help those people whose sleep cycle has been severely disrupted for some reason. It is taken about 30 minutes before bedtime. As with most substances, it is good advice to ask your doctor about taking it, and to find out the pros and cons.
Reflexology is a technique which helps some people to get some sleep, and another method is to use relaxation techniques, and yoga has helped others too. As you can see there are natural sleep aids that you can use as sleep solutions for those times when you need something to help you, other than addictive sleeping pills.