Do Sleeping Pills Actually Work?

Do Sleeping Pills Actually Work?

Are sleeping pills effective? One of the main question about sleeping pills is their possible health effects. So, let’s look at how sleeping pills function and evaluate their effectiveness.

First, how do sleeping pills work?

There is a chemical messenger in the brain, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter whose function is to bind to neurons, to suppress their operation. It's GABA. As a neurotransmitter, it is said to slow down the nerve propagation and inhibit the neuronal hyperactivity (i.e. anxiety). It enhances release of tension from the head. In this way, GABA plays an important role in neural communication. 

Benzodiazepines, a form of sleep medicine, can also bind with GABA receptors (at a reception site that is very close the site of the GABA neurotransmitter). Through doing so, they exert a more powerful influence on the Central Nervous System by increasing the level at which the chloride channel opens. This essentially limits the neural activation more dramatically. Benzodiazepines have been shown to cause and sustain sleep. Persistent for a long time, they are also effective for battling bowel disturbances at night.

What about melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone released naturally by the body during the day. Melatonin is a compound that reacts to light (which is why it is advised to avoid blue light around bedtime). It is marketed today, in tablet form as a purported less harmful sleeping aid. The drawback of not having a sedative effect is that sleeping pills do not. Unfortunately, questions still exist about its efficiency and thus, you must not buy sleeping pills online without prior consultation from a doctor.

Does melatonin work? 

Although several trials indicate a clear change in the onset of sleep in their participants, this is not the case for all. Indeed, melatonin tends to be most successful when its presence in the body is at its lowest, either in the afternoon or in the early evening. That's to say at moments when there's no sleeping time yet. What a pity...

In fact, because melatonin is essentially a hormone that controls biological patterns (including sleep) it may be extremely useful for sleep disorders induced by poor biological rhythms: jet lag or night work. Or also a subset of people (often elderly) who do not produce sufficiently spontaneously or at the right moment.

So what does work? 

Sleeping pills treat the acute effects of insomnia, but not the causes. They come with multiple threats and side-effects. However, bringing in a molecule that influences the working of our synaptic membranes is also far from benign. Chronic insomnia can only be treated by changing the sleep hygiene. In fact, the latest front-line therapy for insomnia does not require taking pills at all. It is confirmed that the medical profession, including the American College of Physicians, are now using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat people suffering from insomnia. However, this therapy is not accessible to all globally, hence sleeping pills still stand tall as the solution to insomnia, even if it means not targeting the core cause of insomnia but only dealing with it superficially. 

You can buy online sleeping pills from any pharmacy or online drugstore of your choice. Be sure to consult your doctor first, for the right dosage and medicine to treat your specific condition. 
