Sleeping Pills: Are They Worth It?

There’s more evidence about the fallacy of relying on a sleeping pill every night. Even though we Americans take enough of them every year to put more than 250 million of us to sleep for two hundred hours, the people who actually turn to a pill for help are not only sleeping less and taking more, they’re may be endangering their lives. Many of these drugs are so-called hypnotics and can interfere with a person’s natural arousal defense in the dark, the ability to wake up if something goes wrong. And sleeping pills have been implicated in a third of all drug-related deaths, whether intentional (suicide) or accidental. They’re especially lethal in combination with liquor or for older adults, whose bodies ordinarily need more time to break down drugs.

For those who suffer deep-seated fatigue, edginess, headaches, muscle spasms, and nausea, there’s a simple method of relaxation that takes less than fifteen minutes a day. It’s called Progressive Relaxation and involves the tensing and relaxing of muscle groups all over the body. To do it:

• First make sure the bedroom is quiet, free from distraction and as dark as possible.

• Make sure you’re wearing loose-fitting sleepwear, preferably made of natural fabrics.

• Get as comfortable a possible.

• With your eyes closed, breathe deeply, slowly exhaling, for a minute or so.

• Next, starting with your right foot, clench your toes and take a deep breath, trying all the while to tighten all the muscles in your foot.

• Let the muscles go and exhale after ten to fifteen seconds, relaxing as you do.

• Breathe easily for half a minute, then repeat.

• Follow the same procedure for the calves, thighs, buttocks, abdominal muscles, chest, upper back, hands, forearms, upper arms, neck, then jaw and facial muscles – even between the eyes – in that order.

The Progressive Relaxation method should be practiced in bed before you go to sleep and at least once during the day if your tension level is high. During the day, you can wear comfortable day clothes and try the method on your couch, ottoman, even on the floor if you have a rug. If you’re on the floor, place a pillow under your head.

After a while it should become like a condition reflex; your muscles become capable of sensing excess tension and triggering a relaxation response. Ahhhhhhh...