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1 sleeping | Raising awareness of sleep healthImportant Things to Know AboutSleeping tablets They can only deal with sleep problems in theshort term. You should only use them for more than fourweeks on the advice of your doctor. They can cause side effects such asdependence. Taking them with other drugs or alcohol can bea danger. They tend to help more to get to sleep than tostay asleep. If you take them every night, they might notwork as well as they used to. There are other things that can be tried if youare having problems with your Are sleeping tablets ?

2 They are drugs that you take to try to get to sleep or stayasleep. As a rule, you take them when you get into start to work fairly quickly. You should start to feeltired soon after taking them. This can often be within 15minutes. This means that you should not take thembefore you get into bed. If you do, you might get sleepyor unsteady on your feet. This will put you at risk offalling tablets that are used to help with sleep have beenspecifically created for this. Other types ( ) are used to treat other medical problemsand feeling sleepy is just a side Causes Sleep Problems?

3 There are many things that can make it hard for you tosleep. Most of us will go through this at some point eachyear. The cause can be a variety of things and it doesn'ttend to last long. Even so, if you are very distressed, yourdoctor can put you on sleeping tablets for a short for many people, sleep problems occur dailyover many years. In this case sleeping tablets aregenerally not used. The reason is that they won't work aswell when used for long periods. Furthermore non-drugtreatments often work very well in these circumstances(see Insomniaand Good Sleep Habits).

4 What Are Some Of The Commonly UsedSleeping tablets ? Antihistamines You don t need a prescription to getthese from pharmacies. but they re not designed assleeping tablets . They can be very sedating and canlast a long time. You can end up feeling more tired inthe morning which is potentially dangerous, forexample with driving. The effect of antihistaminesSHF- sleepingtablets -0112 1/2/12 1:01 PM Page 1such as Restavit and Phenergan tends to wear offquickly. Benzodiazepines This group includes Temazepam,Mogadon, Normison and Serepax. You can only getthem on prescription.

5 They are used to treat insomniain the short-term (usually 3-4 weeks). In the longerterm they can stop working. There is also the risk of getting hooked on them. Benzodiazepine receptor agonists This groupincludes Stilnox and Zopiclone/Imovane. These are likebenzodiazepines but they appear to be less addictive. Antidepressants or antipsychotics This groupincludes antidepressants ( Doxepin, Endep,Dothiepin, Avanza) and antipsychotics ( Seroquel orZyprexa). They are prescription only. In most cases,psychiatrists prescribe them when sleep problemsoccur with mental health Should I Do If I Am Taking sleepingtablets But Can t Stop Them?

6 You need to talk with your doctor about this. There aremany non-drug treatments that can treat poor sleep andwork well. If you find that you rely on sleeping tablets ,your GP may refer you to a sleep centre for anappointment with a Sleep Specialist. If you ve beenhaving trouble with your sleep for a long time, there arenon-drug treatments that work well ( cognitivebehavioural therapy for insomnia). You can see apsychologist for these. Most people who try this find thatthey can cut down on or give up sleeping tablets and stillsleep well. See also Good Sleep Habits, Insomnia,Depression and Sleep, Anxiety and Can I Find Out More Information?

7 | Raising awareness of sleep healthSleep Health Foundation ABN 91 138 737 854114/30 Campbell Street, Blacktown NSW 2148T: +61 (0) 2 8814 8655 F: +61 (0) 2 9672 3884 Disclaimer - Information provided here is general in nature and should not be seen as a substitute for professional medical concerns about sleep or other medical conditions should be discussed with your local doctor. Sleep Health Foundation, 2011 This information is produced by:Sleep Health FoundationABN 91 138 737 national organisation devoted toeducation, advocacy and supportingresearch into sleep and its disordersSleep Disorders AustraliaABN 98 075 427 voluntary group offering assistanceand support to people and theirfamilies living with sleep disordersAustralasian Sleep AssociationABN 32 172 170 561 peak national association ofclinicians and scientists devoted toinvestigation of sleep and its disordersSHF- sleepingtablets -0112 1/2/12 1:01 PM Page 2