When do you need to take medicine to treat insomnia? This article tells you the answer!

In the quiet night, insomnia is like an uninvited guest, often disturbing our peace. However, not all insomnia cases need to be relieved by medication immediately. So, when is the right time to use medication to fight insomnia? When insomnia persists for more than a week like a stubborn stone and seriously interferes with daily life, it may be time to consider drug intervention.

Zeng Xianxiang, director and chief physician of the Department of Sleep Disorders and Neurology at the Second People's Hospital of Hunan Province (Provincial Brain Hospital) , said, "Imagine that if you lie in bed for several nights in a row, watching the time pass by, you are exhausted during the day, your work efficiency plummets, you have difficulty concentrating, and even simple daily activities become incapable of doing it. At this time, insomnia is like a raging flood, eroding your life and work, and drugs may become your "life-saving straw" to regain a good sleep."

If insomnia is caused by sudden and intense mental trauma and cannot be relieved on its own for a long time, medication may be your spiritual comfort. For example, after experiencing the death of a loved one, a relationship breakdown, or a major disaster, your brain is like a machine out of control, constantly replaying those painful images, keeping you awake at night. At this time, appropriate medication is like a gentle guardian, helping you temporarily calm the waves in your heart and break the vicious cycle of insomnia.

In addition, when insomnia is combined with other diseases, such as patients with chronic pain or people suffering from mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, negative emotions at night are like dark clouds that make it difficult for you to fall asleep. While actively treating the primary disease, sleep aids can be a "beacon" to illuminate your way to sleep.

For people who often need to cross time zones, such as international business people or flight attendants, when the biological clock is completely reversed, the body is still in an excited state when it should be resting, which seriously affects the trip and health, it is wise to use drugs to adjust the sleep rhythm in the short term. This is like resetting the time of the chaotic biological clock and returning it to normal track.

However, if insomnia only occurs occasionally, such as staying up late at a special party or drinking coffee before bed and having difficulty falling asleep that night, do not rush to use medication. The body itself has a certain ability to self-regulate, and by adjusting your lifestyle, such as maintaining a regular schedule and creating a comfortable sleeping environment, insomnia can quietly go away.

Remember, medication is an effective tool for treating insomnia, but it should be used with caution. It should only be used when insomnia seriously affects the quality of life and is really necessary, and it is recommended to be used under the guidance of a specialist.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Liu Junjun, Department of Sleep Disorders and Neurology, Hunan Second People's Hospital (Provincial Brain Hospital)

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(Edited by YT)