Are Over the Counter Sleeping Aids Effective?
Aside from natural sleep aids, sometimes we get too tired and yet incapable to sleep because we are tired to sleep or simply just have a lot of things in mind. Our next option is to take in sleep aids.
Over the counter sleep aids provide sounder and relaxing sleep if properly used. These sleep aids can be dangerous if not properly used and is not best to treat insomnia like sleep apnea.Antihistamine is the maincomponent of all types of over the counter sleep aids such as gel caps, capsule and pills. Some OTC sleep aids contain acetaminophen that calms the person in pain as he or she sleeps. The more the acetaminophen, the lesser the antihistamine content.
But like most drugs, it has certain side effects on older people, kids and teenagers such as blurred vision, sunlight sensitivity, irregular heartbeats and nausea.It is recommended however that you do not have these OTC sleep aids with antihistamines more than 4 times a week as it will leave you hooked on the drug.The antihistamine in these drugs causes dependency on the drugs making it harder for the person to fall asleep without having the OTC sleep aid and the vicious cycle goes on and on.
The labels of OTC products have all the data you need about the product including the interactions with other medicines that you might be having so it really pays to see the label.Doctors know best so talking to them is such a critical step in taking OTC sleep aids, more so if you have existing medications.People that endure from breathing troubles, glaucoma, chronic pulmonary diseases, asthma, enlarged prostate glands or emphysema should really have themselves checked first before taking any medicines.
Some sleep aids contain aspirin - a very dangerous composite to people with heart problems and to children because of Reye Syndrome so take it with {caution|care}.Labels should indicate warning labels particularly for this case. Children below 12 years old should seek doctor's recommendation first prior to having any of these medicines. As per doctor's advice, two weeks is enough to use these OTC sleep aids, beyond that is addiction.
An article on White Noise Sleep Aids is worth reading as one alternative over these OTC sleep aids.