Sleeping issues and SLEEPING TABLETS

Lack of sleep turned to Insomnia

Insomnia is essentially described as a condition when a person has trouble getting to sleep or keeping up a regular sleep schedule. Over 10 million cases are reported annually, making it one of the most prevalent sleep disorders in the UK. Prevalence rates are higher among women and older individuals. Additionally, it is quite typical in the business sector when there are stressful working conditions, an excessive amount of coffee consumption, and smoking. The main causes of insomnia are underlying mental health issues like anxiety, which makes it difficult to fall asleep. Additionally, depression makes it difficult to fall asleep and causes jarring awakenings.

How we treat?

It can be tempting to turn to a sleeping pill or over-the-counter sleep aid when you are in need of sleep. However, sleep medications won't solve the issue or deal with the underlying symptoms; in fact, they frequently make sleep issues worse over time. That is not to imply that there is never a good time or location to take sleep aids. However, sleeping tablets work best when used sparingly for brief periods of time, such as while transitioning between time zones or recuperating from medical procedures, to avoid dependence and tolerance. Even if you need to take prescription medicine for your sleep condition, doctors advise combining it with treatment and a healthy lifestyle adjustment. Our doctors suggest treatment as per patient’s condition.

CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy)

By altering your pre-bedtime routine and the thoughts that prevent you from sleeping, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can enhance your sleep. Additionally, it emphasizes on relaxation techniques and altering lifestyle choices that interfere with sleep. Since emotional health issues like worry, stress, and depression may both cause and trigger sleep difficulties, counseling is an excellent strategy to treat the underlying issue rather than simply the symptoms, assisting you in creating healthy sleeping patterns for life.

According to a recent Harvard Medical School study, CBT is more helpful than sleeping pills for treating chronic insomnia. The most significant improvements in patients' capacity to fall asleep and stay asleep came from CBT, and the advantages persisted even a year after therapy finished. If you have a sleep condition, therapy may be able to help you unwind, alter your perspective, enhance your daytime routines, and be ready for a restful night's sleep.

What effects does CBT have on sleep disorders?

CBT addresses unfavorable attitudes and behaviors that fuel insomnia and other sleeping issues. The two basic elements of cognitive behavioral therapy are as the name implies:

In cognitive therapy, you learn to identify and modify the false beliefs and ideas (cognitions) that cause you to have trouble sleeping.

Behavioral therapy teaches you how to avoid nighttime wakiness-inducing behaviors and swap them out for healthier sleeping patterns.

Medication

We use medication as a last option for sleep disorder.  Our doctors may prescribe the following drugs to treat insomnia.

Antidepressants: Trazodone (Desyrel), an antidepressant medication, is effective at treating anxiety and insomnia.

Benzodiazepines: If you're looking for an insomnia treatment that lasts longer in the body, older sleeping medications like emazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion), and others may be helpful. They have, for instance, been successfully used to treat sleep issues like sleepwalking and night terrors. These drugs have some very major drawbacks. They may result in dependency and addiction. When you stop using them, dependence might result in physical withdrawal symptoms, which is something that can happen with benzodiazepines. Additionally, there is a black box warning against combining them with opioids because they both lower breathing and raise the risk of overdosing.

Doxepine (Silenor): People who have problems falling asleep or staying asleep may use this sleep aid. By inhibiting histamine receptors, silenor may aid in the maintenance of sleep. If you are unable to get a complete 7 or 8 hours of sleep, do not use this medication.

Eszopiclone (Lunesta): According to studies, people take Lunesta to fall asleep quickly and sleep for an average of 7 to 8 hours each night. If you can't get a full night's sleep before taking Lunesta, it could make you groggy. The FDA advises that the first dose of Lunesta be no greater than 1 mg due to the possibility of impairment the following day.

These sleeping medicines typically contain antihistamines. They can make you drowsy the next day, and there is no evidence that they are effective for treating insomnia. They can be purchased over the counter due to their safety. However, you run the risk of accidentally taking too much if you're also taking other prescriptions that contain antihistamines, such as allergy or cold remedies.