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Sleep Aids
More than 40% of people who suffer
from insomnia take sleep aids to help themselves to
sleep. People who suffer from sleep disorders often
turn first to sleep aids whether they are prescribed
or bought over-the-counter.
Little known to insomnia sufferers,
sleep medication does not cure insomnia and often does
more damage than good. In a recent scientific
experiment a group of sufferers were given a placebo
whilst the second group given sleep medication. The
first group not only slept better through the night,
but performed better and felt better during the day.
It was concluded that insomnia
sufferers are better off without sleeping pills. This
also proves that insomnia is as much a psychological
disruption as much as a physical. It wasn't a
breakthrough experiment as most educated doctors who
know the negative effects of sleeping pills are
unwilling to prescribe them. However this only applies
to the smaller percentage of doctors.
In a recent survey it indicated that
only 63 percent of medical schools were including
structured sleep medicine sessions in their curricula.
More shockingly in a recent study, only 10 percent of
doctors rated their sleep knowledge as good.
Although insomnia is fast becoming a
worldwide epidemic, with studies showing that one of
every three Americans suffer from insomnia, it remains
largely under recognized and inadequately treated.
There are several factors hindering
the appropriate recognition of insomnia and its
appropriate management. They include lack of physician
education about insomnia, and also the belief that
sleep complaints are not important, among both
patients and doctors.
Another issue is that big
pharmaceutical corporations are cashing in on this
fact. Did you know that the combined sales of the top
pharmaceutical corporations in 2004 exceeded $500
Billion dollars? They are one of the most profitable
organizations in the world.
Because the majority of their
profits come from prescription medication, their
promotional campaigns have taken a strategic shift to
not only target the consumer but also doctors. They do
this by sending out representatives from practice to
practice, influencing doctors by buying expensive
lunches and advising them to prescribe their brand
drugs to their patients.
How many times have you been told to
'Ask your doctor about 'X' drug' a day? We are exposed
to countless pharmaceutical adverts a day selling the
dream of a perfect healthy life with the use of 'X'
drug.
What these over glossed fancy
adverts don't tell you are the harsh realities of
taking prescription medication. Do they ever tell you
about the 1000's of deaths a year due to adverse drug
reactions? Of course not, they're too busy making
billions to worry about such a thing.
If you absolutely have to consider
taking something, consult your doctor about
alternative natural sleep aids. However you are far
better off paying attention to your sleep habits and
reconditioning the mind and body using techniques such
as CBT and Hypnosis.
For more information on natural
methods and natural sleep aids sign up for my Free
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