This Sleep Medication and Its Impact on Health

This Sleep Medication and Its Impact on Health

Sleeping pills are a type of medication prescribed by doctors as a short-term treatment for problems with sleep disorders. The use of sleeping pills must be under the supervision of a doctor. If not consumed wisely, sleeping pills can bring dangerous side effects, ranging from memory disorders, allergies, to dependence.

Do you have a sleep disorder? Don't rush to take sleeping pills to overcome them. Before you decide to use it, it's good to know what side effects can be caused by using sleeping pills.

Types of Sleeping Medication

There are various types of sleeping pills with different uses and risks. Some can make you sleep longer or help you sleep more easily. Sleeping drugs in the benzodiazepine group are referred to as central nervous system tranquilizers that play a role in slowing down the nervous system's work. While other groups, non-benzodiazepines, have safer side effects.

To be able to find the right medicine, before prescribing sleeping pills, your doctor will ask about your sleep patterns and various other activities that can affect your sleep. Your doctor may also do a test to detect the condition behind sleep disorders.

If necessary, your doctor will prescribe sleeping pills for a period of time to see the side effects and benefits. Talk to your doctor about the type, dosage, and side effects of sleeping pills, including the presence or absence of generic sleeping pills at lighter prices. You are not advised to take other types of sleeping pills without the doctor's knowledge, if the medication given does not give effect as expected.

 This Sleep Medication and Its Impact on Health

Here are some types of sleeping pills commonly used.

Medicine name

Make sleep easier Make sleep longer

Can cause dependence

Alprazolam

X

X

Lorazepam

X

X

Diazepam

X

X

Zolpidem

X

X

Temazepam

X X

X

Estazolam

X X

X

Zolpidem extended release

X X

X

In addition to the drugs above, there are also low-dose sleep medications used to treat insomnia due to depression. These drugs include: amitriptyline, mirtazapine, trazodone.

Sleep Medicine Side Effects

Like other drugs, sleeping pills also have side effects. Side effects of each sleeping drug vary depending on the type. Here are some common side effects:

    Appetite changes.

    Increased body weight.

    Changes in mood (mood) or behavior.

    Change in libido.

    Memory disturbances and out of focus.

    Burning or tingling sensation in the legs, arms, hands.

    Diarrhea.

    Difficulty defecating or small.

    Difficult to maintain balance.

    Makes limbs vibrate (tremor).

    Headache.

    Dry mouth or throat.

    Frequent exhaustion.

    Drowsiness during the day.

    Limp.

    Abdominal pain.

    Nausea.

    Irregular heartbeat.

    Severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This reaction can include angioedema, which is a severe swelling of the face.

    Add dependency. Without sleeping pills, you become more and more difficult to sleep. Even sleep activity can be the most worrying time.

In certain cases side effects can be severe such as parasomnia, namely behavior and actions that cannot be controlled. People who experience parasomnia are not aware of what is happening. In the midst of unconsciousness, sufferers can walk, eat, even call while sleeping.

What to watch

Sleeping pills can also be dangerous for people with certain diseases, such as asthma. Sleeping pills can make it difficult for people with asthma because the side effects of sleeping pills can make a person breathe more slowly and slowly. Those who have high blood pressure, kidney disorders, and a history of seizures also need to be alert. Likewise pregnant and lactating women, elderly people, and people who are taking certain drugs that can react with sleeping pills.

If you really need to take sleeping pills, there are several things that must be considered, including:

    Before taking sleeping pills, it's a good idea to consult your doctor first to find out the cause or background of the occurrence of insomnia.

    Sleeping pills are recommended to be consumed 15 minutes before bedtime. If not, this drug can make you lose concentration and awareness, so that it will endanger you when you are on

    Make sure you read all instructions including the dosage indicated on the label, especially on the side effects. Consult a doctor if there is information that you do not understand.

    Never drink alcohol along with sleeping pills. A combination of sleeping pills and alcohol will increase both side effects, and can cause respiratory arrest which can be fatal.

    You are also not offered

8 Easy Steps to Prevent Snoring

8 Easy Steps to Prevent Snoring

Snoring is a common thing that some people do when they sleep. However, this condition can be serious and affect everyday life.

When snoring, oxygen supply can be reduced, so you are exhausted the next day. If not addressed, sleep time that should be used for rest becomes not optimal.

 8 Easy Steps to Prevent Snoring

This is what happens when you sniff

When you snore or snore, it means there is vibration in the palate, soft tissues in the mouth, nose, or throat. When the flow of air enters the tissue in the throat and experiences obstacles, that's when a vibration occurs which causes sound. Uniquely, half of adults have or routinely experience snoring.

The snoring that is created also varies, depending on the origin of the vibration. If the vibrating is soft tissue behind the nose, it will produce fine snoring. But if the vibrating is the palate and the back of the throat, it will produce a harder snoring. Snoring is caused by several things, such as obesity, drinking alcohol, taking sleeping pills, certain sleeping positions, smoking, or abnormalities in the nose and throat. Especially in children, snoring can be caused by enlarged tonsils.

Snoring Signs of Disease?

Maybe all this time you don't know that snoring can be a sign of having a serious illness. One of them is sleep apnea, which is a sleep disorder that can make you stop breathing for a few seconds to two minutes when you sleep. This makes oxygen levels in the blood decrease so you will feel fatigue and headaches the next day.

Snoring is also closely related to several chronic diseases, such as stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease.

How to Prevent and Stop Snoring Habits

To avoid various health problems that can occur due to snoring, you must immediately overcome these bad habits. Try doing eight easy steps to prevent the following snoring:

    Change Sleep Position

Sleeping position turns out to determine whether you snore or not. According to one study, sleeping on your back can cause you to snore. This happens because sleeping on the back can make the base of the tongue and soft palate in the mouth cover the walls of the throat causing sound vibrations during sleep. To anticipate it, try sleeping in a sideways position.

If you are used to sleeping on your back, try putting a tennis ball or anything on the mattress that can make your back feel uncomfortable when lying down. Automatically, the discomfort can get you to sleep sideways.

    Enough sleep

Lack of sleep or having a bad sleep schedule can trigger you to snore. For example, you are too busy working until you forget to spend enough time to sleep. When you have reached a point of extreme fatigue, the condition of the muscles will become tense so that you sleep snoring.

    Avoid Liquor and Sleeping Drugs

Usually people who have never snored, will immediately snore after consuming alcoholic drinks. According to the study, drinking alcoholic beverages four to five hours before bedtime can make snoring worse. So you should avoid consuming this drink before going to bed.

Taking sleeping pills should also be avoided. Indeed, this drug can make you sleep quickly, but sleeping pills can make the muscles in the neck become more relaxed, making your snoring worse.

    Drink a lot of water

When dehydrated, the mucus release process in the nose and soft palate becomes sticky. That can encourage you to snore. Therefore, drink more water. For women, ideally drink water around 11 glasses a day, while men drink 16 glasses.

    Wash your nose with salt water

Snoring caused by stuffy nose can be treated by opening the nasal cavity to keep it open, so that it can improve air circulation.

If the nasal cavity is blocked due to the flu or other things, the incoming air can turn into snoring. To overcome this, you can wash your nose with a solution of salt water, like handling sinusitis naturally at home. Or it could also be an easy way, namely taking a warm shower before going to bed.

    Lower Weight

Losing weight can be a way to deal with snoring. But this cannot be applied to everyone because there are some thin people who often snore. This method can be done if you start snoring when you gain weight, whereas before you did not snore. Weight gain,

Snoring Can Be Associated with the Risk of Dangerous Diseases

Snoring Can Be Associated with the Risk of Dangerous Diseases

Snoring is often considered a bad habit while sleeping. Because, the snoring is often disturbed by people around. Snoring is indeed quite common, but this condition can also appear as a symptom of a dangerous medical condition.

Snoring is more experienced by men, especially men who are overweight. Some people who are overweight tend to experience sleep apnea with its main characteristics snoring to wake up. This condition is likely caused by excess fat that builds up around the neck, causing disturbed breathing flow during sleep.

 Snoring Can Be Associated with the Risk of Dangerous Diseases

diseases associated with snoring

Snoring and Risk of accompanying diseases

Some people may have tonsils or large tongues that can narrow or block the airway, causing snoring during sleep. Family history of snoring and consuming alcohol can also increase the risk of snoring. As you get older, the snoring can get worse.

In certain cases, snoring can also be associated with an increased risk of various dangerous diseases, including:

    Respiratory disorders

    People who often snore are at risk of developing sleep apnea. This condition can cause respiratory problems due to closed airways. This event can occur more than 10 seconds while sleeping.

    GERD

    People who snore and experience sleep apnea are also at risk of developing gastric acid disease (GERD). This condition causes changes in pressure that make the stomach contents rise again in the esophagus.

    Headaches and insomnia

    Research reveals that there is a relationship between headaches in the morning and insomnia. People who snore and often have headaches tend to have a lower quality of life than those who don't.

    Stroke

    According to the study, the intensity of snoring is associated with the risk of carotid atherosclerosis, namely narrowing of the arteries in the neck due to fat deposits or plaque. This buildup of plaque can cause a stroke, if it occurs also in the brain's blood vessels.

    Arrhythmia

    In the long run, people with obstructive sleep apnea can experience a left atrial enlargement of the heart and may affect the electrical conduction of the heart. This condition is known as arrhythmias (heart rhythm disturbances).

    Pregnancy complications

    Although the relationship is not yet clear, research has found that pregnant women who snore in the last trimester of pregnancy are more at risk of developing pregnancy complications or disorders of the fetus.

In addition to the possible risks above, snoring can also cause other complications, such as difficulty concentrating, daytime sleepiness, and a tendency to aggressive nature. This condition can cause a person to be more at risk of having an accident or injury, as well as lower sexual satisfaction. Therefore, if the habit of snoring feels very disturbing, you should immediately contact a doctor.

To diagnose the cause of snoring, doctors can take several diagnostic steps, such as X-rays, CT scans, or MRI of the respiratory tract. In addition, the doctor may perform a sleep study to confirm the condition.

After the diagnosis is made, the doctor will ask the patient to apply a healthy lifestyle as the initial step of treatment. Snoring habits can also be overcome independently by changing sleeping position, sleeping on time and regularly, avoiding alcohol use, and drinking lots of water.

Frequent Tingling? This is the cause

Frequent Tingling? This is the cause

Tingling that causes sensations such as numbness or numbness can occur at any time, for example after sitting cross-legged for a long time. The causes of tingling can vary. There is a temporary tingling and some are prolonged

Tingling or in medical terms called paresthesia is a tingling or numb sensation accompanied by a feeling like you are pricked by a needle. This happens when the nerves inadvertently get pressure so that blood flow to the nerves is not smooth.

Frequent Tingling? This is the cause

There is a temporary tingling tingling and prolonged tingling known as chronic paresthesias. Tingling can also be caused by health problems or certain diseases. Below are the causes of temporary and chronic tingling.

Causes of Temporary Tingling

Not only occurs in the arms or legs, temporary tingling occurs when a member of the body is subjected to prolonged pressure. This makes the blood supply to the nerves in the area obstructed. You can feel tingling in your feet after sitting cross-legged or wearing shoes too small. Tingling in the hands can also be felt, for example when sleeping with the head resting on the arm.

Because it is temporary, this condition can subside by itself if you free the area that is tingling from pressure, such as stretching your legs after sitting cross-legged or releasing an oppressed hand. That way the blood flow will return smoothly.

Another cause is Raynaud's disease. This disease affects the blood supply to certain areas of the body, such as the fingers and toes. This disease especially attacks when the patient is stressed, nervous, or in a cold temperature room.

Causes of Prolonged Tingling

Prolonged tingling usually relates to your health condition, for example due to diabetes, kidney disorders, liver disease, stroke, brain tumor, cancer, hormonal imbalance, multiple sclerosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar nerve compression.

In addition, medicines that you are consuming can also trigger tingling, for example chemotherapy drugs that are used to treat breast cancer and lymphoma, anti-seizure drugs, antibiotics and drugs for HIV / AIDS.

Exposure to toxic substances can also cause tingling. Toxic substances are related, for example mercury, thallium, lead, arsenic, and some other industrial chemicals.

Other factors that cause prolonged tingling are malnutrition due to poor diet, lack of vitamin B12, and excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages

How to know the exact cause of tingling?

If you often feel tingling, you can ask the doctor for the cause. The doctor will trace medical history and complaints, and carry out physical examinations and supporting examinations. Some support tests may be carried out, such as blood tests, electromyogram (EMG) tests, cerebrospinal fluid examination, nerve conduction tests, MRI, and biopsies.

After the diagnosis is made, the doctor can determine the treatment for tingling you experience. For example, if the tingling occurs because of diabetes, the doctor will remind you to always control blood sugar levels, provide drugs to maintain blood sugar levels, and apply a healthy diet.

In general, tingling can be minimized by applying a healthier lifestyle, for example:

    Exercise regularly.

    Avoid exposure to toxins.

    Avoid or limit consumption of alcoholic beverages.

    Stop smoking.

    A healthy diet.

    Maintain an ideal body weight.

    Treating and controlling chronic diseases if any, such as diabetes or kidney disease.

Most cases of tingling that occur are temporary. You are advised to visit a doctor immediately if your tingling experience deteriorates, accompanied by the appearance of rashes, dizziness, muscle spasms, frequent urination, pain in the neck, forearms and fingers, the body feels weak or unable to move, or loses consciousness.

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