Do you suffer from insomnia? Millions of women just like you are in the same boat. When you can’t get to sleep, it’s easy to be tempted to ask your doctor for a prescription sleep aid. Unfortunately, both prescription sleeping pills and over-the-counter sleep aids can cause serious side effects. Some of these side effects could even kill you.

Dangers of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Sleep Aids

Prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids were never really designed for long-term use. They were designed to help you calm down and get to sleep after a serious emotional upset or illness.

Unfortunately, doctors have been handing them out like candy for decades.

Now new studies have shown that habitual use of sleep aids can not only cause addiction but may cause even more harmful side effects including higher incidents of:

• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Sleep Apnea
• Sleepwalking
• Dementia

Sleeping pills cause these troubling side effects because of the depressant effect they have on the central nervous system. Depressing the central nervous system for a long period of time alters the way your entire body functions. Studies have reported people walking and even driving in their sleep with no memory of doing so.

Natural Insomnia Relief

If you want to avoid the troubling side effects of prescription sleep aids, try treating insomnia naturally. First, darken your room. If you routinely fall asleep with a light or television on, you’re depleting the natural melatonin levels in your brain. Melatonin is your brain’s natural ‘sleep aid’ that tells your body when it’s nighttime.

If noisy neighbors or a snoring sleep partner are making it difficult for you to get your beauty rest, try investing in some ear plugs. Ear plugs drown out up to 38 decibels of sound so low noises are blocked out but important noises (like the alarm clock or the smoke alarm) come through.

You can also treat occasional insomnia with a supplement called chelated magnesium. Magnesium is responsible for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body and millions of people are deficient in this vital mineral. Adding a chelated magnesium supplement before bed will not only cut down on incidents of insomnia, it can help ease anxiety and even help you lose weight.

Valerian is another natural herb that can help ease feelings of anxiety and restlessness before bed. Alternatively, you can also use l-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea to calm your nerves and ease you into a peaceful slumber.

Don’t struggle with insomnia or the side effects of dangerous sleeping pills any longer. You can still get the insomnia relief you need with natural remedies.