Have you been having trouble sleeping? If your answer to that question was yes, there is an incredibly high chance that you’ve resorted to using sleeping pills.
While these pills will work, they are not long-term treatments for sleeping problems. Taking these pills can affect the quality of the deep sleep you get and may also cause drowsiness.
Fortunately, there are many natural alternatives you can try. In this article, you will find out about the natural sleeping aid alternatives you can use.
What Are Sleeping Pills?
Sleeping pills help you fall asleep when you cannot naturally. People who have difficulty falling asleep or can’t sleep for long usually take medications like sleeping pills to help them sleep better.
When Should You Take Sleeping Pills?
The best time for someone to take a sleeping will largely depend on the type of sleeping pill they are supposed to take.
We’ve classified the appropriate time for sleeping tablets based on their purpose.
- Jet lag sleeping pills: Most jet-lagged people often use pills to aid sleep because melatonin is a good option for tackling jet lag. The ideal time for taking this sleeping pill is several hours before you intend to sleep. Observe the same procedure every day throughout the trip and continue for a few days after the trip.
- Sleeping pills for insomnia: A person with insomnia should take their pills before sleep or bedtime.
- Sleeping pills for shift work: People who manage shift work also use melatonin to help regulate their sleep. Such people will need to take the pills at the end of their shifts.
Are Sleeping Pills Safe?
Sleeping pills are mostly safe, but like most medications, they have some side effects. For instance, they are unsafe for people with asthma or other health conditions because they can interfere with normal breathing.
People with chronic lung problems like asthma or other chronic pulmonary diseases shouldn’t use sleeping pills.
Likewise, sleeping pills are unsafe for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, or older adults. Sleeping pills tend to increase the risk of nighttime falls in older adults. This is why if older adults are to be given any sleeping pill, they usually get one within the lower dose range.
Sleeping pills are also unsafe for people with other health conditions like kidney disease, low blood pressure, or a history of seizures.
The common side effects sleeping pills have on the people who use them are:
- Drowsiness
- Erratic behavior
- Collapsing
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Burning sensations in the hands, arms, feet, or legs
- Changes in appetite
- Balance problems
- Dry mouth or throat
- Headache
- Stomach pain
- Uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
- Weakness
Are Sleeping Pills Good For You?
Even though they can temporarily help with your sleeping problems, sleeping pills are not good for you in the long run. The best way you can tackle sleeplessness is to develop good sleeping habits. Ensure to train your sleeping habit with a schedule. You can also avoid taking caffeine just before bedtime, reduce the amount of stress you endure, and treat any physical or psychological condition you may have.
What Happens When You Take Too Many Sleeping Pills?
Taking too many sleeping pills can lead to various outcomes depending on the type of sleeping pill and the dose you take.
For instance, overdosing on benzodiazepine is barely fatal. However, it can be deadly if someone overdoses on benzodiazepine with other substances like opioids.
On the other hand, it is hard to come by a case of melatonin overdose. Scientists have studied melatonin, proving that it is impossible to overdose on melatonin even when you consume extremely high doses over a while.
However, taking too much melatonin can some side effects, which include headache, low or high blood pressure, drowsiness, and vomiting. It can also result in more serious conditions like a worsened alopecia areata or an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.
Why You Should Consider Sleeping Pill Alternatives
Though sleeping pills usually provide a solution to your sleeping problems, the solution they provide is always for the short term. You will need to keep using them each time you have trouble sleeping.
The more you take them, the more you get addicted to using them. Worse, sleeping pills will not offer you the quality of deep sleep you need. They will also have adverse effects like drowsiness and cardiac risks.
This is why you should use natural alternatives to help you sleep easily. If you don’t know where to get good natural sleeping aids, you can visit us at Love Nightshift. We have some of the best sleeping aids to offer.
Here Are Some Sleeping Pill Alternatives
There are many natural sleeping aids you can use instead of taking sleeping pills. These natural sleeping aids range from dietary supplements to plant extracts. Here’s a sufficient list of different natural sleeping aids you can use to put yourself to sleep naturally.
Sleeping Aids By Love Nightshift
Love Nightshift Luxury Sleep Mask
Love Nightshift’s luxury sleep masks are designed for people who want to sleep during the day.
Scientifically speaking, you need to eliminate every trace of light to get the best possible sleep. When it is dark, your body converts serotonin to the melatonin sleep hormone, making it easier for you to sleep peacefully.
However, your body does the opposite when there is light. So you need to keep the lights out if you want quality sleep. Love Nightshift’s sleep mask can help you block out every ray of light.
Here is a resource for more information on sleep masks.
Love Nightshift Earplugs
The noise level in your environment surely affects the quality of sleep you can get. If your environment is noisy, it may be impossible to get some sleep.
Unfortunately, you can't stop people from talking, moving, or doing regular activities. A good solution you can try is to get Love Nightshift’s earplugs.
Here is a great resource for sleeping earplugs.
Love Nightshift Sleep White Noise Machine
If you are the type who enjoys setting the scene for their sleep, then getting a white noise machine might be a good alternative.
This white noise machine can help you recreate your ideal sleep environment. You can set up consistent white noises, like the crashing waves of the ocean, raindrops, etc. The white noise machine can produce any sound, making it easier to fall asleep.
Love Nightshift Sleep tea
Drinking this herbal tea before bedtime can help you relax your mind and body to enjoy a comfortable sleep.
One other Love Nightshift product you can try is the luxury sleep spray.
Corrective Treatments To Get Better Sleep
Adjust Your Sleeping Habit
Your lifestyle and your sleeping habits have a great impact on the quality of sleep you get. The first thing you need to address if you have insomnia is to adjust your sleeping habit.
For instance, you should stop drinking too many caffeine-based drinks. You should also stop exercising when it's close to your bedtime.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
CBT is a package of treatments that consists of selective sleep restriction and stimulus control. It also tends to include cognitive therapy and relaxation techniques.
Plant Sleeping Aids
Some plants are known to have calming or sleep-inducing effects. Here are some of them:
- Lavender has some relaxing properties, which make it capable of regulating cortisol.
- Chamomile has sedative effects. It can relieve the nervous agitations that make falling asleep difficult thanks to the apigenin and anti-inflammatory compound it contains.
- The orange blossom packs sedative effects and a pleasant aroma that makes the atmosphere conducive to relaxation.
Some other noteworthy plant alternatives include lime-flower, lemon balm, verbena, valerian root, and hops.
The Bottom Line
Sleeping pills will certainly help you to get the sleep you desire. However, they are not a good solution to insomnia. You will be better off using natural alternatives.
