Do you suffer from the symptoms of insomnia? If you are like most people and have difficulty sleeping for a long period of time or for even for days in a row, you may get to the point where you are willing to try anything just to give you the ability fall asleep and stay asleep. It’s best to look at your options, before you get desperate, to make sure you understand how each one works.
The first thing many consumers do when they have trouble falling or staying asleep is to head for the pharmacy for some quick, over-the-counter solutions. The thing about sleep aids is they can often initially help you overcome your trouble falling asleep, but they don’t get to the real root of the problem.
Don’t think of sleep aids as your cure. For the first few nights they might help, but what you really you want to do is find out why you’re having sleeping issues. Relying on a pill to get some sleep isn’t the best option for your long term health.
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When operating properly your body’s internal clock tells you when to sleep and when to wake up. It also controls your sleep cycle stages. The scientific name for this function is known as the circadian clock. This internal mechanism controls your sleep cycle by monitoring your body temperature, hormone levels and your general level of alertness.
Behind your eyeballs are a cluster of neurons called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) that sends rhythmic signals to your pituitary gland. Your pituitary gland then sends chemicals including melatonin into your blood. Studies have found that it is the build up of melatonin that causes drowsiness.
There is another neurotransmitter, a chemical called adenosine that is produced while you are awake. Your cells produce power to get you through the tasks you need to do each day and adenosine is a bi-product of the use of that power. Adenosine builds up throughout the day to a level that tells your brain its time to sleep. The longer you resists the more adenosine and melatonin build up and you feel sleepier and sleepier until finally you have no choice but to fall asleep. While you sleep these hormones are broken down by other bodily functions and your circadian clock is reset. Then the cycle starts all over again.
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