The Effect of Poor Sleep on H... Video Transcript

Webcast Transcript

Avoid heavy foods late at night. Regular exercise during the daytime will promote sleep. Regular sleep times are also recommended

ANNOUNCER: Allowing yourself adequate time for sleep should be a priority. However, at times, good sleep may be elusive. And while medication is not a cure for sleep deprivation, a sleep aide may be useful on a short-term basis.

ELLEN MILLER, MD: I like to break it down into the old medicines and the new medicines. The old medicines are usually in a class of drugs called the benzodiazepines . And they're usually a little bit longer-acting than some of the newer medications, so they will give you the side effects going into the next day sometimes. Some of the longer ones will make the patients feel fatigued and dragging and even a dry mouth the following day.

The newer medications are in a class of drugs that we call non-benzodiazepines. And these drugs have a much shorter duration of action and much less side effects, so that the patients feel more refreshed the following day.

ANNOUNCER: Whatever the method someone uses to recapture good sleep, it's important to realize that getting "enough sleep" is something your body craves to keep it functioning at full speed.

Our whole body needs sleep to function. It needs to recover from the day before and to go into the next day. Every function in the body depends on sleep, on that time to rebuild and get ready for the next day.

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