I participated in an Ambassador program on behalf of Influence Central for Pernix Therapeutics. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
How did you sleep last night? Sleep is essential for good health but many of us (about 4 million Americans) suffer every night with insomnia. In a previous post, I discussed 4 Sleep Strategies for Better Sleep. I have made changes over the last year or so, and have incorporated most of those.
Sign Off Social Media to Sleep Better
This past month, I committed to better sleep by signing off from social media 1 hour before bedtime. I also placed my phone on airplane mode to eliminate social media notifications!
I have to admit, this was very, very hard at first. I always liked checking my email, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter one last time before bed. After all, don’t we all need to see how many likes our latest picture or post gets?! 🙂
I decided my health – and the following day – was worth this adjustment. I use my phone as an alarm clock to wake up to do a blood sugar test for my kids who are both now Type 1 Diabetics. (More on my daughter’s diagnosis from last weekend soon!). It was hard not to check my social media while setting my alarms, but I did it. I have to admit that at first, I felt like I was missing something, like I needed to check. That is when I realized that it was a problem if I felt that I had to check it.
Once I stopped checking 1 hour before bed, I found myself more relaxed before bedtime. I was able to spend more time reading before bed, a much more relaxing activity to prepare my body for sleep. I’m surprised how such a little change in my life made such a big difference in my ability to relax before bed, and then fall asleep faster and stay asleep. I also found that I don’t have as many crazy, intense dreams like I use to have. It was worth it and I’m not going back.
When Singing Off Social Media Isn’t Enough…
I also realize that for some, signing off on social media 1 hour before bedtime may be helpful but not enough for them to manage their sleep problems. The good news is that there are treatments available to help those suffering from insomnia that are safe and effective. One such product is SILENOR®, a prescription sleep aid that helps people with insomnia who have trouble sleeping at night.
SILENOR® is different than other sleep aids that you may have heard about, it works with the wake-promoting mechanism in your body’s sleep-wake cycle, helping people stay alseep throughout the night and into the early morning. It is sooo frustrating to wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to fall back to sleep! Unlike other sleep aids, SILENOR® is not addicting, so you don’t have to worry about the risk of abuse or physical dependence of this sleep aid.
Do you have trouble staying asleep throughout the entire night? If so, talk to your doctor about your sleep routine and find out if SILENOR® is a right fit for you.
To learn more about how to get a full, uninterrupted night’s sleep every night on WanttoSleepMore.com.
Full SILENOR® ISI: SILENOR® is a prescription sleep medicine that is used to treat people with insomnia who have trouble staying asleep. Call your doctor if your insomnia worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing your sleep problem. Be sure that you are able to devote 7 to 8 hours to sleep before being active again. SILENOR® should be taken within 30 minutes of bedtime. Do not take with alcohol or with other medicines that can make you sleepy. If you are on a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) or have taken a MAOI within the past two weeks, you should not take SILENOR®. You should not take SILENOR® if you have an eye problem called narrow angle glaucoma that is not being treated, if you have severe urinary retention, or if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in SILENOR®. You should not drive or operate machinery at night after taking SILENOR®. Until you know how you will react to SILENOR®, you should be careful in performing such activities during the day following taking SILENOR®. Before you take SILENOR®, tell your doctor if you have a history of depression, mental illness or suicidal thoughts. You should call your doctor right away if after taking SILENOR® you walk, drive, eat or engage in other activities while asleep. Drowsiness is the most common adverse event observed in clinical trials. For more information, please see the complete Prescribing Information, including the Medication Guide, at https://www.silenor.com/Content/pdf/prescribing-information.pdf. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
