Is alcohol a useful sleep aid?

[Humphreys]

That is a rather general statement is it not? And another unsupported one. Yes OTC is not the way to go, it even tells you that on the label.
It is for the occasional use, not long term.
I don't think benadryl has any long term adverse effects.

What is the drug you would recommend then? I would be interested in seeing the effective sleep aid that does not cause some type of significant dependance risk, or have any of the side affects I mentioned. Benadryl may be harmless, but I know it is not strong enough to help me sleep when I am having one of the nights when I am stressed and struggling to relax.

You haven't established that, or I missed it. Most prescription medications only say that in the TV commercials. The better phrasing would be “If used for abuse and off label, these medications pose a risk of substance dependence. Although abusing ambion of lunesta would not be any fun.

Abuse would count as long term consistent use in the case of Lunesta though, and that was part of my claim. So sure, if you don't use them as a long term solution you're not going to become dependant, but that misses the point!

That was not your originals statement

No?

Which part have I been inconsistent on? That's exactly my view, I am not sure what I said originally that made you think otherwise.

here is the deal, if you have consistent problems sleeping you should get help. I hope that people would not treat a recurrent infection with home remedies either.

Most sleep disorders can be traced to a cause that may be open to treatment.
Home remedies are not the solution in most cases.

I partly agree, but would add "if you don't know what causes your sleep problems, and do not have them comfortably under control".

The type of sleep problems I have cannot be compared to an infection. I would say that the vast majority of sleep problems can and should be handled without any drugs at all, as sleep is the simplest, most natural thing in the world, but if a couple of shots of whiskey one or two nights a week handles the problem with little fuss, I think it's just plain dangerous to seek out prescription sleeping tablets. Of course you should rule out medical causes, but in my case, I am certain that has nothing to do with it. By now, I understand my sleep problems infinitely better than any doctor possibly could.

As for generalized unsupported claims, well, there are a lot of them going around, but you are making them too:

"Most sleep disorders can be traced to a cause that may be open to treatment."
"Home remedies are not the solution in most cases."
"Most prescription medications only say that in the TV commercials."

 

[Dancing David]

Removed because I am just being argumenative.

 

[Dancing David]

Sorry Humphreys I don't mean to rag on you, I just feel that most medication for sleep if used as they are supposed to under treatment by a qualified MD have a very low risk of dependance.
Now if there are still MDs prescribing barbituates, then they are not following best practice.

(Larger post removed.)

 

[Humphreys]

No problem David, maybe you are right about the dependance risk, I'm only speaking from my somewhat limited experiences.

I'm not against doctor prescribed sleeping tablets, they're just not right for my particular circumstances, and they should be used with caution.

My Dad had been going through a rough time a while back, and his sleeping got really bad. Basically, he woke up every night about 4 in the morning and could not get back to sleep. His problems were stress related due to owning his own business, plus some health issues to go along with it.

To cut a long story short, he almost started on prescribed sleeping tablets, but decided not to. Today his sleeping is fine and he never medicated, but would the same be true if he had started taking sleeping pills regularly? Would he still be on them today? Would they have made it harder to address the real source of the problems, which was his inability to handle the stresses of owning a business etc?

I'm not sure of the answer to that. If you believe he'd have got off them easily enough once his issues had passed, maybe he would have been best off taking them, but I'm not so sure.

 

[Paradox74]

While browing through Google, I came across this website:
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02037/sleep-aid


There's alot of the sleep hygiene practices mentioned on that page, along with herbs. I'm wondering if any of the following claims are true (I have doubts about the Siberian ginseng):


Magnesium and calcium. Oral magnesium supplementation has been shown to improve symptoms of fatigue in persons with low magnesium levels.
Eleuthero or Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus). Studies show that Eleuthero can help enhance mental activity as well as physical endurance.
Coenzyme Q10. This vital nutrient is involved in cellular energy production throughout the body.
Ashwaganda, an Ayurvedic herb prized for its ability to help the body deal with stress.
Cordyceps, a traditional Chinese medicinal mushroom that may help fight fatigue and boost energy levels.