Should I Consider A Sleeping Pill ?

Lynn Smith
10/24/2007
Professional Health Coach
www.HealthCoachTeam.com

Once again you wake up exhausted. It was another night of tossing
and turning. Nights like this are happening more often. It's hard
to have a productive day when you didn't get enough sleep. You've
seen those ads on television. Maybe you should get a prescription,
too. How can you tell if it's the right decision?

A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
showed that insomnia is a disorder of hyper-arousal. Our lives have
become so fast-paced and we are constantly bombarded with
information, our brains become over-stimulated and that affects our
ability to sleep.

Before heading to you doctor, maybe you should make a quick
evaluation of your lifestyle. Sometimes in our efforts to deal with
a problem, we inadvertently make it worse.

In an effort to try to wind down at the end of the day, do you kick
back on the couch and unwind in front of the television? Watching
TV before bed can actually compound the problem. Television
watching stimulates the brain, causing you to take longer to fall
asleep.

Do you sometimes try the idea of a nightcap before bed? Alcohol
causes drowsiness, so that's a good thing, right? Wrong. The
effects of alcohol are short-lived and can result in waking up
several hours later not being able to fall back to sleep. Also,
alcohol interferes with the body's ability to reach the deeper
stages of sleep.

If you like those evening snacks, you might want to take a closer
look at what you're eating. Any kind of grains or sugar will raise
your blood sugar level and that inhibits sleep.

Before going for a pill, try making these changes in your lifestyle
instead. A few adjustments might be all that stands in your way of
a good night's sleep.

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