If you're tired of sleepless nights and want insomnia help, then you should seek professional medical advice. Alternatively there are various practices and therapies you may want to try.

Insomnia can be overcome, but what needs to be realized is that it can be a complex issue to tackle depending on the severity of the condition. Unfortunately a high proportion of sufferers rely on medication to sleep. This is often because they think that insomnia can be solved with just a few tablets.

It's likely that your doctor will advise that it is best to avoid taking sleeping pills. This in my book is the best piece of sleep advice he or she can give. Your doctor should be consulted before taking sleep medication. Prolonged use should also be avoided as this can cause 'rebound' insomnia which is generally more difficult to tackle.

Taking sleeping pills over a long period will affect your natural sleep cycle and make sleep very difficult in the long run. As sleep is broken into complex stages of REM and non-REM sleep, you may find that your sleep is not refreshing as a majority of sleeping pills will disrupt normal brain waves. The various sleep stages are essential for rejuvenating and restoring the body and brains functions.

You may sleep through the night but wake up feeling drowsy, groggy or tired. Side effects include blurred vision, headaches, sweating, dizziness and palpitations. As with any drug your body will build tolerance over time and you may find that the effectiveness begins to wear off.

Taking sleeping pills is definitely not a long term solution to insomnia, but with a seemingly shortage of alternative solutions, it can be easy to fall into the trap. With this in mind, you may be thinking if there is indeed any help for insomnia. So in the next section I've comprised some alternative ideas to aid your sleep.

The first thing to remember is that you are not alone, even though it can sometimes feel that way. There are absolutely millions of adults in the same situation as you are, if not worse. In fact, insomnia affects a third of all adults. Although that may not be comforting it's important to note that insomnia is treatable and there is help.

Practices such as acupuncture, reflexology, and even hypnosis have been around for thousands of years. New techniques such as brainwave entrainment are also proving to be popular. People are seeking alternative drug-free methods realizing the negative effects and often disappointing results from taking sleeping pills.

Natural remedies include herbal drinks, chamomile tea, lemon balm and hops. Another popular and widely available natural sleep aid is Standardized Valerian extract. Its soothing properties help by relaxing the muscles in your body and calming the mind.

This is just a small example of alternative solutions out there. If you found this article useful and want more insomnia help then stay tuned for more.

Author's Bio: 

Philip Tsang is a teacher and author of the book How to Beat Insomnia. For many years he has carried out extensive research in alternative medicines and practices such as acupuncture, reflexology, NLP and hypnosis. Using this knowledge he has helped thousands of people cure their insomnia. If you have trouble sleeping and want to know more on how you can cure your insomnia, please visit
the Insomnia Help site now.