Facts and Myths About Insomnia
Can Ambien Help with Anxiety and Insomnia?
When you stare ceiling or face difficulty in falling asleep all night in a semi-dark bedroom, your brain mentally tracks every minute when you are not sleeping. You know that you have to pay it when your alarm rings in the morning and you have to drag your too tired body out of bed. It is like another day of extreme drowsiness, in which you do not have the mental capacity and enough energy to perform your daily tasks. But, the irony is that the harder you try to fall asleep, the more anxious you become.
If you face this endless cycle of rising anxiety and sleepless nights, you are not alone. According to some recent analysis, more than 40 million Americans suffer from chronic or prolonged sleep disorders, and about 20 million occasionally report this problem.
You all must know that anxiety is one of the primary contributors to sleepless nights, but what about the other way? Can lack of sleep cause anxiety? The answer is yes. Prolonged sleep disorders can cause anxiety.
What is the Relation Between Anxiety and Insomnia?
Anxiety is often associated with disrupted sleeping habits and sleeping problems. Stress, worry, and panic have the potential for sleepless nights and cause persistent sleeping problems. Difficulty falling or staying asleep, also referred to as insomnia, is a common symptom of anxiety.
Appropriate quality sleep often reduces the severity of anxiety, treats anxiety, and relieves insomnia symptoms. It usually occurs either simultaneously or shortly after anxiety disorders begin. Sleep aids and medications can be a miracle to treat both symptoms.
Ambien: Overview of Medicine
Ambien is a sedative most commonly recommended to treat insomnia and other sleep disorders. But, it also helps to reduce the symptoms of anxiety-related insomnia. It’s classified as a sedative-hypnotic that relaxes the unconscious mind and brain activity to induce sleep. It is a highly addictive drug, and when you discontinue, it rebounds the experience of insomnia and anxiety.
Ambien comes in short-term release tablets and extended-release tablets known as Ambien CR. The short-term release tablet will help to fall asleep immediately when you first go to bed. The Ambien CR has two layers, the first layer will dissolve quickly to make you fall asleep immediately, and the second layer dissolves slowly to keep asleep till morning.
Can Ambien Help to Control Anxiety?
In addition, to treat insomnia, Ambien also helps to control anxiety. It is a powerful sedative that initiates sleep and alters brain activity. Brain activity is changed to begin sedative effects. Ambien works by increasing the neurotransmitter GABA, a chemical in the brain.
GABA’s primary role is to slow the nerve firing, reduce anxiety levels and muscle tensions and help to initiate sleep. It also diminishes the impact of brain chemicals which permit people to fall asleep. The medications are effective for people to fall asleep but do not assist them in maintaining asleep.
Ambien’s potential for anxiety relief is facilitated by an increase in the GABA activity of the brain. Its anti-anxiety benefits are paired with an individual’s ability to obtain peaceful and quality sleep.
Can Ambien Cause Anxiety?
Yes, it’s pretty possible that Ambien can cause anxiety because it may cause changes in people’s cognition, behavior, and emotions. It is commonly prescribed for short-term use, as the drug can be habit-forming and have high abuse potential.
If you take Ambien for an extended period, you can become dependent on it to sleep. It was created as a non-habit-forming alternative to other sleeping aids. However, it is a drug that can cause chemical dependency, producing psychological and physical dependence.
Addiction is unlikely to occur when people take Ambien for short-term usage and precisely as prescribed. But when taking it for a prolonged duration or in higher dosages, the risk of dependence becomes more likely.
When you use Ambien recreationally, it can be administrated in unsafe ways, increasing the risk of dependency and over-sedation; when abused in high dosage, it can cause increased euphoria and energy.
Ambien also acts as a depressant drug and restrains the central nervous system by preventing firing nerves. The prolonged usage can decrease the ability of the brain to self-regulate, causing the brain to stop producing GABA at necessary levels.
Withdrawal of Ambien
When you stop using or discontinue Ambien, the body does not function without the drug. Your brain works much faster than usual and tries to adjust by over-compensating the sudden changes.
The overcompensation can trigger the rebound effect, causing the brain to produce distressing withdrawal symptoms. The most common withdrawal symptom of Ambien is rebound insomnia, where your brain causes difficulty falling asleep without medication.
Anxiety is another Ambien’s withdrawal symptom and results in increased anxiety. It acts on the same GABA receptors on which anti-anxiety medication works. The GABA reduces stress and alleviates anxiety. It reduces the activity of the central nervous system to prompt relaxation, so when you stop or discontinue taking Ambien, you are likely to experience anxiety.
How Can I Manage My Anxiety and Insomnia Naturally?
Your anxiety symptoms may naturally decline when you get the enough sleep you need. It does not mean you can ignore anxiety. The underlying pressure continues, which can put your sleep and health at risk.
There are various strategies to avoid behaviours that get in the way of peaceful sleep. You can reduce your sleep problems by practicing some of these tips: \
- Relaxation techniques like muscle relaxation and breathing exercises can help to reduce anxiety at bedtime. Other relaxation techniques also include a warm bath or meditating before going to sleep.
- Avoid naps and other similar sleep restrictions that make you feel more tired at bedtime. It can improve insomnia for some people.
Setting a routine bedtime and wake-up time can help you train yourself for consistent sleep. Practicing sleep hygiene and sleep habits can help you to overcome insomnia. - It would be best to control stimuli like using the bedroom only for sleep and not allowing electronic gadgets in your sleeping space. It will help you dissociate your bed as a place of activity.
- Falling asleep in a dark room is much easier. Try to use thick curtains or blindfolds to block the light that wakes you up. Also, reduce your screen time before you go to bed. The full-spectrum light of electronic gadgets has stimulating effects that make it harder to fall asleep.
- Avoid taking caffeine and nicotine close to bedtime. It helps you be physically ready to sleep. Doctors also recommend avoiding taking alcohol close to bedtime.
Your physicians may also suggest other strategies to your sleep lifestyle and environment to help you learn and develop habits that promote healthy sleep.
Conclusion
Some key points you should remember about anxiety and Ambien may include:
- Insomnia is associated with stress and often co-occurs with anxiety.
- Ambien is a commonly prescribed medication that increases GABA activity in the brain to produce a sedative effect to minimize anxiety and sleep-related problems.
- Ambien has a high potential of abusing and can cause dependence.
- Discontinuation of Ambien can cause the brain to overcompensate by rebounding insomnia. Its withdrawal can relate to anxiety and other uncomfortable fatal withdrawal symptoms.
If you’re suffering from chronic anxiety, insomnia, or dependence on Ambien, help is available. You can contact us anytime when you need. You can also buy Ambien online from us at cheaper rates than local stores without Rxlabelsl with overnight delivery.