How To Fall Asleep Fast, Best Natural Sleep Aids

[Editor's Note: While some prescription sleep aids are safer than others, many can cause complications during pregnancy. Instead, use safer natural sleep aids that can help you fall asleep fast without the side effects.]

Lunesta is a hypnotic group medicine. It provides you relief from problems like sleeplessness. Generally Lunesta is used to treat ailments like insomnia. Constituents of this medicine acts by relaxing your brain muscles and inducing sleep. Though Lunesta do not possess any proven dependency symptoms, it is advisable that you use Lunesta only on prescription by a qualified medical practitioner. Misadministration of the medicine may have certain adverse side effects.

Though Lunesta is considered to be safer for use, as compared to other sleeping medicines, possibility of side effects can not be ignored. It is always better to consult your doctor before you start using Lunesta.

There are certain circumstances under which it is advisable that you should avoid use of Lunesta. Your doctor may adjust your Lunesta dose or prescribe you other sleeping aid if he feels Lunesta is likely to give side effects in your case.
You may not be able to use Lunesta, if you are taking other sedative drugs or sleeping medicines. Combination of such medicines with Lunesta may have adverse effects.

When you should not use Lunesta

• Liver disorders
• Respiratory diseases, like asthma, emphysema or bronchitis
• Symptoms of depression

If you do not take adequate precautions while using Lunesta, you may experience following side effects:

• Swollen lips, hives, face or tongue
• Breathing problems
• Choking of throat
• Clumsiness, dizziness or drowsiness during day time
• Abnormal behavior, such as more aggressiveness
• Confused or strange behavior
• Loss of memory
• Depression

Special attention during pregnancy

Usually, it is recommended that pregnant women should not use any medicine before consulting the physician. Same is applicable in the case of Lunesta also. It is true that certain medicines have adverse effect on unborn baby. If you are pregnant do not use any over-the-counter medicine, not at least sedative medicines. These sedatives medicines may have sedation and other effects on the unborn baby. The possibility is more when you use such medicines during final weeks of pregnancy. Never conceal your pregnancy from the doctor. Disclosure of pregnancy will help your physician to prescribe right medicine and avoid possible complications at later stage.

If you are using Lunesta and become pregnant, let know your doctor immediately. He will either stop usage of Lunesta or make dose adjustments. There are proven results to confirm that some quantity of Lunesta passes in breast milk. However, the exact effects of Lunesta, passed through breast milk, on new born baby are not known. To avoid further complication arising by use of Lunesta in breast feeding babies, it is advisable that you either avoid using Lunesta or consult your doctor before using Lunesta, if you breast feed the baby.

Important Note

Above information is based on available sources on the subject. These are only for educational information. Lunesta being sleeping medicine may have adverse side effects on your body. Always consult your doctor before you start using Lunesta. Your doctor will decide dosage and duration for which you should take Lunesta.

Author: Ian Mason

Learn more about how you can finally get the perfect night’s sleep and relax your mind and body for once. We recommend LunestaForum.com as one of the top resources we’ve found for Lunesta and insomnia information. They offer a discussion forum too so you can see what other people have to say about Lunesta and decide for yourself.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Mason

Facts About Pregnancy Sleep Aid

If you are pregnant, nothing can brighten you up more than a good idea for a pregnancy sleep aid. Before you get right into a suggested solution however, you should remember a few things about pregnancy sleep aid solutions.

Sleep Aids – Prescription and Herbal

As with practically all drugs and herbal remedies pregnant or nursing women should not use Passionflower. The same is true if you are considering pregnancy or think you might be pregnant. 

What You Should Know About Your Pregnancy Sleep Aid

There are undeniably also some individuals who simply breeze through pregnancy with minimal discomforts and sleep problems. Since your condition is unique, you should also look for a pregnancy sleep aid that will suit you.

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[Editor's Note: Sleep aids can definitely help your child fall asleep fast, but which ones are the safest? Read our list of top natural sleep aids.]

You’ve done all that sleep habits stuff to make your child go to sleep or stay asleep. Nothing worked. Now you’re desperate enough to try some natural sleep aids for children but you don’t know where to begin. There are more natural sleep aids in the stores than there are prescription sleeping pills. Here’s a fast and easy guide to 5 popular natural sleep aids for children.

1. Melatonin

What is melatonin?

It’s a hormone secreted from the pineal gland in our brain. Thought to help our bodies’ sleep-wake cycle i.e when it’s time to go to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. Melatonin decreases the time it takes to fall asleep ("sleep latency"), and may increase the duration of sleep.

• The most popular natural sleep aid for helping adults with jet lag or effects of shift work
• Also popularly used as a sleep aid for children, more than 20 studies have shown that melatonin helps children with insomnia to fall asleep quickly
• Side effects: daytime drowsiness headaches, dizziness, a "heavy-head" feeling, stomach discomfort
• Safe with short-term use (three months or less) as concluded by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2005)
• Dosage should not exceed 3 milligrams and it’s not recommended by healthcare professionals to give to kids younger than 10.
• Being a popular OTC sleep aid, pharmaceutical grade synthetic form is available in many brands; AVOID natural forms that are basically melatonin derived from animal’s pineal glands due to possible contamination
• It must be noted however, nearly all studies of melatonin were on ’special needs’ children i.e. autism, other development disabilities, blind. Their bodies either don’t produce melatonin or do so only erratically.
• 15% of pediatricians still recommend melatonin as a sleep aid for children with insomnia, according to the medical journal Pediatrics (2002)

Before Using Melatonin As A Children Sleep Aid: 

• discuss with your pediatrician to rule out medical reasons for insomnia, such as breathing difficulties or behavioral conditions such as attention-deficit disorder
• parents should first try techniques to change the child’s sleep behavior

2. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

What is chamomile?

It’s one of nature’s oldest herbal sleep aid used for centuries. It is also one of the gentlest herbs making it so popular as a children sleep aid. The active ingredients are flavonoids namely, chrysin and apigenin, believed to reduce restlessness helping one feel more relaxed and more prepared to sleep.

• It also has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. That’s why it’s also popularly used in cases of stomach irritation.
• Safe for both adults and children. It does not lead to dependency and has not been shown to have any side effects. However, it may cause allergic reactions in people who have plant or pollen allergies.
• Most often drunk as a tea, which has a mild, pleasant flavor. Also available for internal use in capsule or tincture form
• Known as a ‘plant doctor’ stimulating the health of other plants, you will find it popularly combined with other herbs to make standardized herbal remedies.However, this also means you have to use with caution if your child is on other drug therapies. It may increase the effects of other sleep aids.

3. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)

What is valerian?

A herbal sleep aid that is also one of the top 3 popular OTC sleep aids for children. Its active ingredient is still unclear therefore how it works is unclear too.

• Generally thought to help reduce the time to get to sleep and possibly improve sleep quality.
• It also eases nervous tension, muscle tension and anxiety
• Generally safe when taken in recommended dosages. However, high doses of valerian can cause nausea, headaches, dizziness, vivid dreams, weakened heartbeat and even paralysis.
• It works well in combination with other sedative herbs. Valerian and lemon balm preparation is the most popular combo sleep aid for children since a study done in Germany showed fast and significant improvement for children under 12 with restlessness or dyssomnia (sleep disorder).

4. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

What is lemon balm?

It’s an aromatic mint plant recognized by European herbalists for its ability to help induce sleep and ease nervousness. In Germany, lemon balm preparations have been approved for treatment of nervous insomnia.

• It also protects the gastrointestinal tract against ulcers. Therefore, lemon balm is a popular remedy for insomnia accompanied by a nervous stomach.
• Taken as a tea, lemon balm is quite tasty.
• When used as a sleep aid for children, the dosage according to the German study are valerian and lemon balm tablets with 160 mg of valerian root dry extract and 80 mg of lemon balm leaf dry extract.
• It is not associated with any toxicity or side effects.

5. Passion flower (Passiflora incarnata)

What is passion flower?

This herb, used by the Aztecs as a sedative, helps relax the mind and body to induce restful sleep. The active ingredient, harmine, and related compounds help inhibit the breakdown of serotonin. It also contains chrysin, the same flavonoid found in chamomile. It is an especially helpful sleep aid for sleep disorders caused by chronic pain, muscle conditions and anxiety.

• Taken as a tea, tincture or as capsules.
• Safe for use as either a sleep aid for children or adults. However, because the most common side effect of passion flower is drowsiness, don’t take it unless you plan to sleep for while.

Now that you know these 5 natural sleep aids for children, always consult a licensed healthcare provider first if you are thinking of using any of them for your child. Also, you should tell your healthcare provider about all of the supplements and medication your child may be taking so that he can evaluate any potential drug-supplement interactions.

It’s not easy to find appropriate supplement brands for these 5 popular natural sleep aids for children. The supplies are usually in adult dosage or in different combinations not according to the studies for children sleep aids.

By: Isabel T.

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Find out what’s available on the market in this compiled list of Natural Sleep Aids For Children This information is brought to you by OTC Sleep Aids.com

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Being 100% natural, with no artificial preservatives, Serenite Jr- a 100 natural, safe and proven herbal remedy that encourages healthy sleep patterns in children.

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It’s one of nature’s oldest herbal sleep aid used for centuries. It is also one of the gentlest herbs making it so popular as a children sleep aid. 

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