Insomnia: Information and Treatments to Help You Sleep Better

Americans spent almost $1.8 billion filling more than 16 million prescriptions for Ambien and Ambien CR last year, and almost $713 million on over six million prescriptions of Lunesta, according to Drug Topics digital magazine.

These drugs carry side effects that users should be aware of.

Hallucinations, violent outbursts, addiction, anxiety, sleep eating, sleep sex - and most troubling of all - driving while asleep, are a few of the serious side effects reported by some patients who take these types of medications.

But many doctors believe the most harmful aspect of these sleep aids is a potential overdose. Mixing them with other substances or taking doses exceeding a physician's recommendation can result in over-sedation and death.

Even though Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata are commonly prescribed by physicians, they still need to be taken with caution.

"Even though these are non-narcotic according to TV ads, they can be addictive and a person can abuse them the same way they can abuse (other substances)," Schwartz said. "A few extra, especially mixed with alcohol, could kill you."

Heath Ledger was said to be using sleep aids in the days and months leading up to his death. The sleep aid, Restoril, was one of the six drugs found in Ledger's bloodstream at the time of his death, which was ruled an accidental overdose.

The dangers are so troubling that the FDA is now requiring that 13 sleep aids use stronger warning labels and is insisting that drug makers distribute patient fliers to promote safe use instructions.

For a 100% safe and natural cure for insomnia - without pills or drugs - see the proven method outlined in The Sleep Well Guide.

For the average American, a good night's sleep is becoming ever more elusive - and it's a problem that plagues us at all ages, from infancy to adulthood.

Two recent studies have focused on the sleeplessness phenomenon. Two studies shed light on the reasons behind the increasing lack of sleep in teens and adults. With teens, the most common culprit is their cell phones. With adults, the main deterrent to a good night's sleep is work.

In one study of more than 1,600 13-to-15-year-olds in Belgium, scientists at Katholieke University Leuven found that almost 60% of students used their cell phones either to talk or text message after turning their lights out at bedtime.

After following the kids for one year, the researchers report that teens who used their cell phone more than once per week after lights-out were five times more likely than kids who never used cell phones at bedtime to say they felt tired one year later.

The later the teens stayed awake with their phones, the more tired they were. Most teens concentrated their phone use around midnight, but some continued communicating well past 3 a.m.

Sleep patterns aren't any better among adults. Dr. Mathias Basner of the University of Pennsylvania plumbed a publicly available database of nearly 50,000 people questioned by the U.S. Census to find out exactly what short-sleepers - those who get four to five hours of sleep a night - did during waking hours.

Since earlier surveys had linked less sleep with greater risk of disease and death, Basner was eager to find out whether it was the lack of sleep itself, or something else that the short-sleepers were doing while they were awake that was making them so unhealthy. He and his team were surprised to find that the main reason a person lost sleep at night was work.

The more a person worked, the less he or she slept: compared with normal sleepers, people who slept 4.5 hours or less per night worked about 1.5 hours more per weekday and nearly two hours more on weekends.

"The fact that work influences sleep time was not surprising, but we were amazed by the dominance of the work time effect," says Basner. "For every hour of sleep you lose, you work 30 minutes more."

What is important to note about these findings is the fact that both of these causes of sleeplessness are something we have 100% control over. A simple lifestyle change - turning off the cell phone at night or adjusting your work schedule - can make a significant difference in your ability to get a good night's sleep.

For more tips on how to overcome insomnia naturally and get a good night's sleep, visit: www.SleepWellGuide.com

Many people struggle to stay awake during the day, when they need to be fully alert to perform well. The National Sleep Foundation's new Sleepiness Diary can help you keep track of your sleepiness patterns and compare them with how long you've slept the night before and how often you battle sleepiness with naps or caffeine and other stimulants.

Download here free: Download Sleepiness Diary

(You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view/download the diary.)

Your eyes are heavy, your head starts to nod and pretty soon you're taking an impromptu nap.

Trouble is, you're not in your favorite chair at home, but behind the wheel of your car. Or the huge semi-trailer you haul up and down the highways.

If you're lucky, you'll wake up before you lose control and veer off the road - or into oncoming traffic.

But if you don't wake up, you'll never know what hit you - and neither will the poor victims in your path.

Welcome to the world of sleepy drivers - coming soon to a road near you.

Virtually every driver at some point has had to pull over for a rest break because they desperately needed to close their eyes. Think about the annual family vacation, for example. You've only driven around town or your city for the past year and suddenly you're heading off on a journey of several hundred miles with a vehicle full of noisy kids. You didn't sleep much the night before because of all the packing and last minute things that had to be done around the house.

If you make an early start, there's a pretty good chance your partner and the kids will soon be taking a nap while you focus on the road. Soon, you'll join them.

Of all the activities to engage in after a poor night's sleep, driving is right up there with the most dangerous.

Yet we do it ALL THE TIME!!

The U.S. National Commission on Sleep Disorders conducted a survey that found drowsiness was a factor in half of all traffic collisions and a staggering 36 percent of fatal accidents.

The U.K. government found that 20 percent of so-called "accidents" that resulted in death and serious injury were caused by drivers who were drowsy or suffering from a sleep disorder.

11 percent of British drivers admitted to having fallen asleep at the wheel.

New research from Stanford University suggests that driving while you are tired is as dangerous as drunk driving!

If you nod off easily in work meetings, at home or feel excessively sleepy when driving, it's time to get yourself to the doctor's office for a check-up. You might have a serious medical condition like sleep apnea (Greek for "without breath") which prevents you from getting a good night's sleep, making you excessively drowsy during the day.

Don't put that appointment off - your next nap could kill you and those near and dear to you.

While I recommend a medical check-up for excessive tiredness and heavy snoring, many of us suffer from short- or long-term insomnia. We just aren't getting the rest we need because of lifestyle, stress and anxiety, shift work and other causes. I address those issues in my book The Sleep Well Guide, but there are some simple things all of us should do to make sure we are fit to hit the road.

First, remember that most adults need 7-8 hours sleep. Don't think you'll get away with three or four, especially if you've been partying. Your reactions will be dulled and you'll be a danger to yourself and other road users.

Second, share the driving duties if at all possible, particularly on a long trip. Even a short break from behind the wheel can work wonders for your energy and will recharge your ability to function properly once you return to the driver's seat.

Third, plan on plenty of rest breaks. It's a macho, dumb "guy thing" to think you can drive all day without stopping just because you're impatient to get there. Relax, your destination isn't going anywhere. I say two hours, three maximum, is long enough in one stretch to be focused on the road and other vehicles.

Fourth, make sure you are particularly well rested before driving at night, when you are contending with dazzling lights and poor visibility. Don't start driving in the dark if you've been working hard all day. Take a nap first and if you still feel tired, delay the journey. There is nothing worse than being on a dark, lonely highway at 3 a.m. when you're feeling tired. Don't become a statistic.

Lastly, read your maps and know where you are going. The combination of tiredness and confusion in a strange city can be deadly. Be safe out there and assure you and your family arrive safely at your destination.

For more tips on how to effectively combat insomnia, which often leads to drowsy driving, visit www.SleepWellGuide.com