7 Safety Tips For Taking Sleeping Pills for Insomnia

Sleeping pills relieve insomnia by inducing drowsiness and relaxation. However, even natural sleep aids such as melatonin might create adverse effects, making you experience confusion or drowsiness during the day. Other non-drug treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), are more effective at enhancing sleep.

Sleeping pills affect brain pathways crucial for regulating whether a person is awake or asleep. In addition, sleeping pills typically begin to work within 20 to 30 minutes, so they should be taken shortly before bedtime. Most sleeping pills are only effective for a few hours, so they are more effective at inducing sleep than maintaining it.

People with sleep disorders such as insomnia may have no choice but take these sleep-inducing medications. If you are prone to waking up in the middle of the night, sleep aids can also help. However, as mentioned above, there are risks associated with sleeping pills if not taken correctly.

1. Consult Your Doctor About Your Sleep Problems

Consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis if you have insomnia. Your physician or a sleep specialist may be able to identify a cause, such as a sleep disorder or a medical condition. Treating insomnia may mask an underlying condition that requires medical attention.

Inform your doctor of your health conditions and medications, including prescription, over-the-counter, and complementary medications. If you get a sleeping pill prescription, your physician must ensure that it does not interact with other medications or worsen existing medical conditions.

Before taking any sleep aids or medications, carefully read all instructions and package inserts to ensure safe use and learn about potential side effects. Additionally, if you’re taking other medications, you can check BuzzRX App to save money on your prescriptions.

2. Plan For A Full Night’s Sleep And Time Your Medications Correctly

Ensure that you’ve scheduled enough time for a full night’s sleep, which for most people is seven to eight hours. Taking a sleeping pill and waking up after only a few hours may leave you feeling groggy.

If a person has trouble falling asleep, they should take these medications approximately 20 to 30 minutes before bedtime. It is important to get into bed quickly after taking a sleeping pill, preferably within 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Inform Your Doctor About the Side Effects

If you struggle with daytime drowsiness, grogginess, or vertigo, consult your physician about adjusting your dosage or tapering off a sleep aid. Tell your doctor about all of your symptoms. Adverse effects of prescription sleeping pills include prolonged drowsiness, headache, dizziness, bloating, etc.

Over-the-counter sleep aids may also cause some side effects. For instance, diphenhydramine, a common antihistamine found in over-the-counter sleep aids, can cause memory problems, dizziness, and lingering drowsiness the following day.

4. Don’t Try To Do Anything After You’ve Taken A Sleeping Pill

Complex sleep-related behavior can be avoided by going to bed shortly after taking a prescription sleeping pill. People with sleep medications have made various phone calls, have eaten, and even driven without being fully awake. These people have no memory of doing those acts.

People enter a “sleep-walking” phase while awake rather than while they are asleep. This can result in undesirable effects such as eating disorders and bizarre behavior.

5. Avoid Alcohol

Never combine alcohol with sleeping pills. Alcohol boosts the sedative effects of the medication. The combination of even a tiny amount of alcohol and sleeping pills can induce dizziness, confusion, or fainting. It can result in dangerously slowed breathing or unconsciousness. Moreover, alcohol can also cause insomnia.

6. Do Not Take Sleeping Pills Before An Important Day

According to Dr. Jessica Vensel-Rundo, a neurologist at Cleveland Clinic, you must only take a sleep aid on a night when you won’t have to wake up early, drive, or make crucial decisions. You are more likely to experience excessive morning drowsiness if you take a higher dose than intended or don’t get enough sleep.

The medication should help you fall asleep more quickly and stay asleep longer, but it should not render you unconscious during the daytime. Inform your doctor if you have difficulty waking up in the morning.

7. Never Attempt To Increase The Dosage Prescribed By Your Doctor

Doctors are concerned that patients might try to increase their dosages on their own as their tolerance increases, which could lead to physical addiction.

There is no doubt that severe withdrawal is a real possibility if someone consumes a high dosage of a sleeping pill over long periods, increases their dosage, and then abruptly stops taking the medication. These individuals will develop a severe addiction to it, which can be life-threatening.

In addition, taking a higher dose than prescribed increases the risk of sleep-related complex behavior.

Final Thoughts

If you have trouble sleeping and consider taking a sleeping pill, you should first consult your doctor. By getting assessed beforehand, you will be able to determine if you genuinely require it or if there are more suitable alternatives for your situation. If you do not know how to take sleeping pills safely, they may interact negatively with your other medications. Thus, always talk with your doctor first.