We’ve all had nights when we’ve tossed and turned, worrying about our families, our jobs or our finances, wishing we were comfortable taking a sleep aid. But many of us worry that if we do start taking a sleep aid to fall asleep, we’ll become addicted or dependent on pills in order to get a good night’s sleep. That would just add one more thing to our list of things to worry about! Fortunately, there are alternative sleep products that use natural ingredients to help you get a restful night’s sleep.

One ingredient that is terrific for promoting sleep is melatonin. Our bodies naturally produce melatonin, and if we promote enough of this substance, we automatically begin to get sleepy around bedtime. Unfortunately, as we get older our bodies sometimes don’t produce enough. The bright lights all around us also inhibit melatonin production, which increases when it is dark.

If you use a sleep aid that promotes melatonin levels in your blood stream, your body will sense that it is time to sleep. You’re essentially “resetting” your own natural sleep rhythm. The best part of all is that since this is something your body makes anyway, it isn’t addictive or dangerous.

Using Herbs as a Sleep Aid

There are a variety of herbs that promote relaxation, stress reduction and sleep. When you use these in combination with melatonin, you can greatly enhance your chances of falling asleep quickly and getting a sound night’s sleep. There are several herbs on the market that help with sleep, but the top three are lemon balm, passion flower and valerian.

Valerian is currently the most commonly used sleep aid in Europe, where it’s been approved for decades as a natural alternative to prescription sleeping pills. It doesn’t give you that groggy feeling in the morning and isn’t at all habit forming, which is why it’s so popular.

Passion Flower helps promote sleep by relaxing the central nervous system. People who use passion flower as a sleep aid report that its calming effect allows them to let go of their worries and helps reduce the little aches and pains you sometimes feel at the end of a busy day. Its effect on the nervous system means you don’t stay keyed up and tense as you begin to prepare for a good night’s sleep.

Lemon balm has been used for thousands of years to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Some herbalists suggest this popular herb to individuals who suffer from anxiety or stress as a way to calm them. In today’s world, stress and anxiety are two of the most common reasons people can’t fall asleep easily - their minds can’t seem to shut down from the day’s activities. Fortunately, lemon balm helps you relax and unwind at the end of the day.

Melatonin and Herbs Work Well Together as a Sleep Aid

If you’re not sure which approach to take, melatonin or herbal treatments, you can look for a product that uses both. If you can find one that combines at least two of the top herbal remedies with melatonin, you’ll have the benefit of a powerful combination approach that rivals or exceeds that of prescription drugs and you won’t suffer the side effects commonly found with prescriptions.

Do some internet research on your own or talk to an alternative medicine practitioner. They will reassure you that the safest, best way to fall asleep quickly is by using a natural, organic sleep aid that combines melatonin, lemon balm, passion flower and valerian. Once you’ve found a product that combines these ingredients in one convenient sleep aid, you’ll be amazed by the restful, rejuvenating sleep you get every night.

When you’re up pacing the floor at 3:00 in the morning, wide awake, sleep aids seem like an excellent idea. You simply take a pill and soon you’ll be fast asleep, right? Over the counter and prescription sleep aids may help you fall asleep faster, but the side effects can be annoying and, in some cases, even dangerous. There are other options that may work just as well and be safer for you.

There are several issues to consider when considering using sleep aids, such as over the counter pills or prescriptions, in order to fall asleep. If you take these medications late at night after you’ve been awake too long, they can cause a hangover effect; you’ll continue to be drowsy after you should be awake and rested. If you have to drive or go to work, this can create problems.

There is also a problem taking sleeping pills for longer than a few nights. If your insomnia is long-standing, you may be tempted to start taking pills every night. In reality, you’re making your insomnia worse instead of better. The longer you take sleeping pills, the more of them you will need over time to get the same effect. You may also become so dependent on them that you can’t get to sleep without them. Drug dependency of this kind can lead to serious health problems.

You may also experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking prescription or over the counter sleeping pills. The resulting tremors, nausea, headaches and irritability can make you and those around you miserable. The rebound effect is also common when you have used sleeping pills for longer than a few weeks - your insomnia returns and is even worse than before.

Over the Counter Sleep Aids May Interact with Other Medications

Many people don’t realize that the drugs in popular over the counter sleeping pills can interact with any prescriptions they are taking. Some antibiotics may become ineffective, and medications such as blood thinners, when combined with sleeping pills, can cause serious health problems and in rare cases, even death. If you are taking pain killers of any kind, sleeping pills shouldn’t be taken.

Natural Sleep Aids are Safe and Effective

A safer alternative to over the counter pills or prescriptions is the use of natural sleep aids. These include melatonin, which our bodies produce, and various herbal remedies that are organic and gentle.

Among the various natural sleep aids are:

* Melatonin, which our bodies make, is key to regulating our sleeping and waking cycle. Increasing the amount of melatonin in the body late in the evening can tell your body it’s time to go to sleep. It triggers your body’s natural clock.

* Valerian, a centuries old aid to relaxation, is gentle and effective. In fact, it’s been used overseas for generations and is very popular as a natural way to ease stress and encourage sleep.

* Lemon balm is one of the safest herbal treatments for insomnia available. It relaxes and calms the mind so that you can fall asleep faster.

* Passion flower which gently suppresses over-activity by the central nervous system so that your body is able to get rid of pent-up nervousness or anxiety.

Melatonin and herbals have been proven effective in most cases for even long-term insomnia and have far fewer side effects than sleeping pills. There are a variety of ways you can take these treatments, including in capsules, liquid tinctures and even absorbed through the blood stream. The last is very effective because it works quickly and without stomach upset. Look for products such as teas or toothpastes that contain melatonin and a blend of sleep enhancing herbs for terrific, safe results. You’ll rest easier knowing you’re using the safest, most natural sleep aids available.

The CPAP machine used to treat sleep apnea is designed to improve airflow through the upper respiratory tract during a night of rest. There are many lifestyle improvements that you can expect as a result of the treatment, and these are not to be underestimated, but the real long term benefits are better health prospects that patients will hopefully experience.

Heart Disease - An extreme case of OSA can lead to a large oxygen deficit from disturbed breathing. The heart relies on this oxygen to produce normal blood flow, but it has to work much harder than normal to do so; a result is higher blood pressure. A heart under continual strain will eventually deteriorate and lead to coronary heart disease, one of the most common causes of death in our society today. The CPAP machine increases the air flow to the lungs and reduces the stress on the heart. It is the main reason for use of the machine as a clinical treatment.

Stroke - The brain regulates its own blood supply depending on its metabolic requirements. The oxygen deprivation associated with sleep apnea reduces the ability of the brain to obtain blood on demand. When something goes wrong, normalizing the blood flow in the cerebrum is essential, and it is this which is thought goes wrong amongst OSA patients who have a increased risk of a stroke.

Type 2 Diabetes - One of the modern “epidemics” has long been linked with the sleep disorder. Scientists believe that cortisone levels in apnea patients are increased due to the stress of constantly waking during the night. Insulin resistance may result from this effect which may lead to the diabetes. There is also a causal relationship between sleep apnea and diabetes in overweight or obese people

Reduce the risk of a car accident - Scientific studies have proven that untreated sleep apnea sufferers are at a much higher risk of experiencing a traffic accident, some estimate the risk of a crash may be at least double, and the severity will more than likely be worse. The loss of concentration, day time drowsiness, a shorter than normal reaction time and increased risk of “micro sleeps” are to blame for the higher than normal chance of a smash.