A Bit More Info On Natural Sleep Pills
by
site editor Marlene S. Hodge, last update: 5/11/2012 1:21:51 PM.
sleep, sleep aid
One of the most common natural sleep pills, first becoming widely available in 1993, was melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced primarily in the pineal gland which is responsible for maintaining what most of us would call our internal clock, because of this it makes particularly effective natural sleep pill for overcoming jet lag and other disturbances to normal sleep patterns. When there is a large amount of melatonin in the body it makes people feel tired, and this production of extra melatonin can be stimulated by a few things; one of them being low levels of light. Likewise bright daylight significantly slows its production. On a brief side note, it is also the reason that eating turkey makes people feel drowsy; the tryptophan in turkey is synthesized by your body into melatonin. As you could well imagine, the substance has a lot of potential so far as creating natural sleep pills from it.
There are a few problems with taking natural sleep pills made from melatonin however, and they are not negligible. The root cause of a lot of insomnia is depression and anxiety; increasing melatonin can greatly exacerbate these conditions. Another documented side effect which is of major importance to most people is the loss of sex drive that can accompany boosting levels of melatonin through the use of natural sleep pills; this can affect both men and women. Other recorded side effects of melatonin use are headaches, nausea, dizziness and vivid nightmares. Besides these, what is equally troubling is the fact that there is very little information about the effects of long term melatonin use, and it is quite possible that known side effects become much and there would be additional negative impact to your health. The point in taking a natural sleep pill over pharmaceutical drugs is their safety and lack of harsh side effects; melatonin use does not seem to have this advantage.
Herbal sedatives are the other option so far as natural sleep pills are concerned. Valerian Root and St John's Wort are two of the most common active ingredients found in these types of natural sleep pills. St. John's Wort has been used in the treatment of depression and anxiety as well as insomnia. While the method by which these natural sleep pills work is in dispute, many clinical trials done with St. John's Wort have proven it to be very safe. The most common and one of the only side effects reported from its use is sensitivity to sunlight; though compared to the rates of side effects found with most prescription drugs it is rare. Valerian Root is another natural sleep aid that has been used for centuries and is considered both effective and safe.
No matter what advice you get and the treatment decision you come to, not taking action if you are suffering from chronic insomnia is probably the worst thing you can do. Multiple studies have shown that sleep deprived individuals are less likely to receive promotions and raises because of decreased production and increased absence from work. They are more likely to be involved in a collision and to have marital and family problems. My advice is to avoid prescription drugs if at all possible in favor of natural sleep pills or even meditation and self relaxation techniques; but there is no reason to live with chronic insomnia.