Are Nighttime Sleep Aids Safe?

For years medicines have been helping people sleep. Whether they were prescribed or sold over the counter, these concoctions were specifically designed to help folks get to sleep – and stay asleep – at night. Especially for those who have a history of wakefulness. There are even a number of natural sleep aids that provide similar results through the use of herbs and other non-chemical ingredients. But with all of these sleep aid options, how can we know if they’re safe? Or which ones are safer than others? 

Because of the very nature of what they’re providing, these medicines have the potential to cause very serious side effects. In general, the body is set to fall asleep naturally, and chemicals of any kind that work to jar one into forceful sleep are doing so with potent substances or chemicals designed to alter the body’s responses. Even when that sleep is welcome. In fact, for some, the idea of sleep is so extraordinary that it doesn’t matter in what form it’s had, including the forceful kind. 

Potential Side Effects

When taking a sleep aid, remember that many of these drugs haven’t been tested for long-term use. So, while they might be safe to consume every once an awhile, regular use might cause outside effects. Their presence can also make it more difficult for the body to fall asleep on its own. Therefore, the more you use a sleep aid in order to fall asleep, the harder it can actually become to fall asleep naturally – an ironic series of events.

Before taking a medicine to bring on sleep, consider looking at a few of the ingredients. Perform a Google search to see if they’ve caused any negative headlines, or talk to your doctor about the potential risk(s) that are associated with each sleep-aid substance.