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Cure For Insomia
Not getting enough
sleep can make
your life miserable. As a long time sufferer of insomnia, I
know
what it’s like to go for days with little to no
sleep. As
exhausted as you feel, as soon as you lay down in bed your brain
suddenly clicks into the ‘on’ position, and you
find
yourself racing over thoughts and concerns you didn’t even
know
you had. I have spent a long time looking for a cure for
insomnia, and I’ll share my experience with you.
First thing I tried; drugs! As a tax paying American, I
worship
pharmaceuticals as much as everyone else. Fast acting and
effective, drugs can certainly help you get to sleep, but are they a
cure for insomia? Perhaps, but not a very healthy
one. The
drugs you take to help sleep fall into two basic categories;
prescription and over the counter. Unfortunately, none of
them
are without some side effects.
I find that most of the over the counter drugs leave me feeling funky
and irritable the next day. The only non-prescription
chemical I
think even comes close to being a cure for insomia is
melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone secreted naturally by your pineal
gland.
What melatonin does isn’t exactly fully understood, but it
seems
to have something to do with regulating sleep patterns. I
find
that taking a melatonin supplement knocks me right out without any
noticeable symptoms the next day. Unfortunately, it only
seems to
have this effect for me if used once in awhile. Using
melatonin
even twice in a row doesn’t seem to work as well, and the
third
consecutive time I take it does nothing. Additionally, since
it
is so unclear about what melatonin may do, I’m a little
cautious
about using it too often.
Prescription drugs are generally extremely effective remedies for
insomnia. However, they are not without drawbacks and serious
side effects as well, and shouldn’t be thought of as a cure
for lack of sleep. The most commonly prescribed drugs for insomia
fall
under the benzodiazapine family of chemicals, which are all very
addictive. It is very easy to become dependent on these
drugs,
and once you are you wont be able to sleep at all without
them.
In the long run, the best cure for insomia I’ve found is
regular
and vigorous exercise. Once I got more serious about my
workout
routine, I found myself sleeping like a baby at
night. Just
3-4 times a week I got for a short 20-30 minute run, and on the off
days I do some push-ups, sit-ups, and lift free weights. Most
people can’t stand the thought of exercise, but just 20
minutes
of a day is a very small price to pay for better sleep!
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
