Reasons to avoid the use of prescription sleeping pills

Tuesday, March 11, 2014 by: Sandeep Godiyal
Tags: Ambien, sleeping pills, sleep remedies

(NaturalNews) Even if you have trouble sleeping, you should still avoid taking sleeping pills because there have been recent headlines linking some of these pills to death.

In a new study in the journal BMJ Open, it has been proved that even occasional use of prescription pills increases the risk of cancer and death. In this study, researchers looked at the medical records of around 10,500 people who used prescription sleep aids, such as Restoril and Ambien, and then compared them with all those who didn't take these type of meds. So what are the findings? Well, all those who took as few as eight pills in a year have about a 340 percent increased risk of death.

However, there's no need to panic as this study doesn't prove that sleeping pills actually kill. "We're not sure there's casualty here," says the author Robert Langer, MD. "But we do understand there's a strong association that won't go away."

If you're one of the millions of Americans who struggle with sleep, then it's the prefect time to try few natural remedies. These expert tips will definitely help take you to the dreamland and would definitely keep you there.

Choose a time and then stick to it

Bedtime is not only important for kids. You should keep your sleep and wake up time same every day as this will keep your internal biological clock on track. If you need to use an alarm clock, you should go to bed earlier. Want to stay up little later on your weekend? You can do that but try to wake up at the same time as you would on any weekday. This way, you won't mess up with your internal clock and try to get at least six hours of sleep every night.

Schedule your sweat sessions earlier

Workouts can make you feel exhausted, and late-night exercises could make it very difficult to get sleep. Once your body gets revved up for exercise, it stays only so long after your workout session is over. This can inhibit sleep. Therefore, you should try to avoid exercising at least four hours before you go to bed. Also take a hot bath at least 90 minutes before your bed, as this will raise your core body temperature. When your body temperature gets back to normal, it may facilitate release of melatonin, a vital hormone that regulates your sleep.

Count your way back to sleep

Getting sleep is just one battle, and actually staying there could win you the war. If you find yourself waking up in the middle of night, try to count backwards starting from 300 says Dr. Breus. Sounds boring, right? But it can be helpful as you could doze off somewhere in the middle.

You should also try natural remedies. Herbs like passion flower, valerian root and magnolia bark (you can easily get them at health stores) can all help you with sleep. You can consume them in supplement or tea format. All those who have trouble falling asleep should take melatonin supplement as it is effective and save when taken in the proper dose, says Dr. Breus.

Sources for this article include:

http://healthyliving.msn.com

http://edition.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/sleeping-pills/SL00010.html

http://www.mayoclinic.org

About the author:
Sandeep has written many health field articles for both Internet and print publication. He currently writing for insurancetips4u.co.

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