Why can’t some of us sleep?

Before going to see which are the best drops for sleep , how they work and when they should be taken, it is appropriate to focus for a moment on the main reasons that insomnia arise, i.e. sleep disturbance.

Sometimes it can happen that insomnia occurs quite occasionally, for example at the end of a particularly stressful day or after having eaten a large dinner.

In these cases, precisely because the disturbance is occasional, the doctor does not recommend or prescribe any type of drug for sleeping. However, for many people the problem of insomnia is much more recurring and being able to sleep for several consecutive hours becomes very difficult.

It is precisely in these cases that it would be advisable to contact your doctor to be able to explain the problem to him and find the right drops together to be able to sleep better.

The insomnia disorder can depend on many different factors and it is advisable to consult a specialist when the problem is a direct consequence of some psychological alterations or a condition of alcoholism.

How do sleeping drops work?

The mechanism of action of drops for sleep, of course, depends on what kind of drops the doctor has prescribed you, or rather, on the active substance contained in them.

There are so many active ingredients that are used for this purpose, in fact we have anxiolytics, hypnotic sedatives and each of these drugs influences our body in a different way to induce sleep.

Generally, the sleeping drops are taken with water a few minutes before going to bed. Obviously, in order not to encounter possible side effects, you must strictly adhere to the instructions of your doctor but above all to take pharmacological remedies only and exclusively under medical advice . So let’s see what are the most common drugs that are prescribed.

What are the most common sleeping pills?

Among the drugs that we find on the market in drops for sleeping, we especially mention the following classes:

• Melatonin , a hormone produced by our body which has the function of regulating the circadian rhythm, i.e. the rhythm of the sleep-wake cycle. This active ingredient is sold in pharmacies as a food supplement rather than a real drug;
• Anxiolytic drugs , antidepressants and sedatives are used especially when there are psychological alterations at the basis of the sleep disorder;
• Sedative hypnotic drugs are defined as sleep medicines as they are specific for insomnia. They serve to promote both the induction and maintenance of sleep.

These are, broadly speaking, the main classes of sleeping drops that you can buy at a pharmacy. Apart from melatonin which can be purchased in pharmacies without a medical prescription, all the other classes presented require a medical prescription to be purchased as their prescription takes place following an accurate medical examination aimed at specifically identifying the type of insomnia for which you suffer.

Some commercial names are: En®, Trittico®, Lexotan®, Tavor® which I repeat are drugs that require a mandatory doctor’s prescription .

Are there any side effects or contraindications?

As with any other type of drug, contraindications and possible side effects must also be taken into account in the case of sleeping drops .

In fact, these are medicines that must be kept out of the reach of children and, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you must ask your doctor for advice before taking them as their use could be dangerous.

Furthermore, always with regard to the contraindications of these medicines, it is important to ask your doctor for an opinion even if you suffer from particular allergies as you may be allergic to one of the many active ingredients or excipients present in the formulation.

The drops for sleeping must be taken following all the doctor’s instructions to the letter as they can lead to various side effects and, among the most common, we especially mention the following:

• addiction therefore the dosage must always be kept under control with the doctor who will modulate it according to the individual response;
• in high doses they can cause excessive sedation ;
• confusion ;
• ataxia (a disorder characterized by the progressive loss of muscle coordination);
• decreased contractility of the heart muscle.

Are there any natural remedies?

Certainly and they are perhaps the most sought-after remedies in pharmacies to solve this widespread problem. The natural remedies for the treatment of insomnia are different and sometimes act with different mechanisms. You can safely consider the possibility of using one of the  natural ones  that I propose to treat sleep disorders, provided that these are mild and non-pathological.

In fact, it has been demonstrated several times that, in the case of mild insomnia, phytotherapy (treatment with natural remedies of plant origin) plays a truly prestigious role, while it is ineffective or even harmful in the case of medium and severe insomnia. entity. In the pharmacy or herbal shop we can find different formulations: herbal teas, tablets, drops, relaxing essential oils.

Among the plants most present in these preparations we find:

• Hops which should be taken at a dosage of 500 mg or 1-2 mL in drops before bedtime. It has nerve properties and promotes relaxation of the nervous system;
• Melissa, available both in herbal teas and drops;
• Valerian, take 600 mg or 1-2 mL about an hour before going to bed. Attention: in a very small percentage of patients it is possible that it causes the opposite effect or that it acts as a stimulant;
• Chamomile: it is advisable to drink a cup of herbal tea in the evening before going to bed or take 300 mg of dry extract in capsules if you do not like herbal tea;
• The hawthorn;
• The griffonia to which we have dedicated a specific article that I advise you to read ;
• Poppy;
• The linden;
• The exchholtia;
• Passionflower: it is recommended to take 500 mg or 1-2 mL in drops one hour before going to bed. This plant has the advantage of effectively relaxing the nervous system and not causing sleepiness in the morning.

They are all plants that fall into the class of hypnotic  and sedative plant species  that perform an excellent calming action for our body, counteracting insomnia but also anxiety.