![]() The American Academy of Sleep Medicine now recommends CBT-I over sleep drugs as the treatment of first resort for chronic insomnia. Your doctor can also recommend cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), which focuses on changing sleep-disrupting habits. He or she can examine you for health problems that may interfere with sleep, check your medications to see whether one is a problem, and, if necessary, refer you to a sleep specialist for more evaluation. If you've tried DIY strategies for several weeks without success or find yourself using a sleep aid for more than several days in a row, see your doctor. These have been linked to more than double the risk of a car accident, fall, or hip fracture in older adults. Just make sure you are taking sleep drugs under the guidance of a doctor, have 8 hours to sleep afterward, and alert your doctor if you find yourself using them for two weeks or longer or if your sleep doesn't improve.Īvoid prescription benzodiazepines such as alprazolam (Xanax and generic) or estazolam (generic only) for sleep-and in general. It's also reasonable if you have trouble sleeping because of a stressful event-such as a death in the family, a major illness, or a divorce. It's reasonable to consider a sleep aid short-term if you're traveling over more than six time zones and want to sleep on the plane, Morgenthaler says. Over-the-counter sleep aids such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl Allergy, Sominex, and generic) or doxylamine (Unisom and generic) have been linked to poorer cognitive ability and possibly dementia in people 65 or older, according to a 2015 study in JAMA Internal Medicine. They slept an average of only 16 minutes longer than the placebo group.Īnd "these drugs stay in seniors' bodies for longer than they do in younger people, making them more susceptible to side effects such as confusion and memory problems," Morgenthaler says.įor instance, certain prescription sleeping pills can more than double the risk of falls and hip fractures in older adults. Research commissioned by Consumer Reports found that people who took a 15- or 20-mg dose of the sleeping pill suvorexant (Belsomra and generic) every night for three months fell asleep just 6 minutes faster on average than those who took a placebo. Sleep medicine may be less effective-and more dicey-than you'd expect. But limit it to an hour for better sleep at night. If you nap occasionally and it doesn't affect your nighttime sleep, that's fine. Rethink the regular daytime nap. It can make it more difficult to doze off at night, Rundo says. ![]() Set yourself up for sleep. During the last 30 to 60 minutes before bed, dim the lights, make sure your bedroom is cool, read a good book, and tune in to some soothing music (or turn on a white noise machine), Malow suggests. A 2010 study in the journal Sleep Medicine found that people 55 and older who exercised about four times a week for about a half-hour had an easier time falling asleep than those who did not exercise. Get in a daytime walk. "Exercise boosts the effect of sleep hormones like melatonin, especially if it's done in bright daylight in the morning," says Timothy Morgenthaler, M.D., co-director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine in Rochester, Minn. ![]() An alcoholic drink might help you doze off initially, but when it wears off, you'll be awake again. Folks who did so fell asleep faster and reported better-quality sleep than when they consumed foods higher in fat and lower in fiber, according to a 2016 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. And during the day opt for meals that are high in fiber and low in saturated fat. Eat wisely. Large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime can trigger heartburn. ![]()
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