A good night’s sleep is more important than most people realize. Not only does sleep enable us to function normally during the day, it also triggers the body’s nightly cycle of rest and repair. While we sleep, our body mends itself so to speak by repairing damaged cells and tissues. Sleep also boosts our immune defence mechanisms and helps us ward off potential threats.

Is falling asleep a problem? Do you find yourself tossing and turning in your bed without reaching that point where you doze off and sleep like a log? Here are some basic tips that may help you.

In the course of the day

• Try to get up at the same time each day
• Make a habit of sleeping in your bed room – and not other places (such as the sofa etc.)
• Exercise during the day and stay physically active (mostly during the daytime)
• Try to avoid taking naps during the day – if possible
• Expose yourself to generous amounts of daylight every day (alternatively another source of multi-spectrum light)

The title will hardly come as a surprise to many. The real novelty is that a dosage of only 2.5 mg of melatonin daily - can overcome the side effects of blood pressure medication which reduce the quality of sleep.

The blood pressure medication in question are the so-called beta blockers, that work by blocking certain cell receptors, which among other things means that the blood pressure and the heart rate decreases. This type of medicine is widespread. In the United States alone about 22 million Americans take beta blockers alone or with other medicine against various cardiovascular diseases. However, beta-blockers also blocks nerve signals to the pineal gland, whereby the nocturnal production of the hormone melatonin is reduced.

Here is how you save your sleep

Are you a nurse, a factory worker, or someone else who works nightshifts? Then you know how difficult it is to sleep properly after work. A natural compound called melatonin may help you sort out that problem.

Normally, when it gets dark out, we humans feel tired and go to bed. This is because our brains release a hormone called melatonin, a substance that induces drowsiness and makes us dose off. Melatonin is what controls our day-and-night rhythm, our 24-hour clock. The release of this hormone is regulated by light. People who work nightshifts, for instance hospital staff and factory workers, have a problem because they are regularly exposed to artificial light at a time where they should ideally be lying in their beds. Their melatonin production gets disrupted and that upsets their bodies’ perception of day and night.

More and more people have problems getting a proper night’s sleep. At the same time the consumption of prescription sleep medicine is on the rise. We had a talk with pharmacist Gintare Paulauskaite about alternative ways to address the problem:

Are sleep problems common?

As a pharmacist, I notice that a lot of people complain about sleep disorders, including difficulty falling asleep, restless sleep, etc. I have observed that the number of patients with such problems increases with every passing year.

What causes disturbed sleep?

Sleep disorders can be caused by a number of reasons. Young people suffer from these disorders because they are affected by considerable work-related stress, making it difficult for them to relax and fall asleep at night. Older people are even more affected by sleep disorders. It has been established that the body produces increasingly less melatonin with age. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by the brain during sleep.

Are sleeping pills a useful solution?

Sleeping pills can cause an addiction. Continuous use can results in a weakening sedative effect of these pills. Often, they have unwanted side effects such as drowsiness the next day, emotional impairment, reduced alertness, confusion, fatigue, headache, double vision, dizziness, muscle weakness etc.