Sleep Aid

One treatment for sleep problems like insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea is the use of a sleep aid. (Click here for more uses of sleep aids like Good Night's Sleep.) Sleep aids can take the form of non-drug treatments, over-the-counter treatments, and prescription drug treatments. Each of these sleep aids has its own set of pros and cons, which will impact their abilities to help the person who is using them.

A non-drug sleep aid is a sleeping treatment that uses behavior modification or environmental modification to help a person overcome their insomnia. Developing a regular sleeping schedule is one non-drug treatment for insomnia. Other non-drug treatments for insomnia include: creating a tranquil sleep environment, avoiding pre-bed stimulations, adjusting the person's diet to reduce or eliminate caffeine and alcohol and practicing stress reduction techniques.

If the person's non-drug sleep aid is not helping, the person can also use over-the-counter sleep aids. These sleep aids generally include antihistamines like diphenhydramine and doxylamine. These are the two most effective and safest over-the-counter ingredients that help to promote sleep. Melatonin is another OTC sleep aid that can be used. This product is a hormone that promotes sleep, and dosing should follow the directions on the bottle.

MedGen's Good Night's Sleep is an OTC sleep aid that utilizes the most effective sleep ingredient on the market today, diphenhydramine. This ingredient is delivered via a spray in the dosage of 50 mg. This is the dose size recommended by the FDA. For more information about this product please click here.

If an over-the-counter sleep aid is not working, or if the person has chronic insomnia, then they will need to talk with their doctor for a prescription sleep aid. Prescription sleep aids like Lunesta and Ambien should only be taken as directed, and they should only be taken under the supervision of a physician. Also because they are very strong they should only be taken right before the person goes to bed for the night. Other prescription sleep aids include: Restoril, Sonata, and Desryl.