Facing Difficulty In Falling Asleep. What Should Be Done?

Posted on Tue, 29 Jan 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 Answered on

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : what to do when i am having a hard time falling,staying asleep.help!

Answered by Dr. Rajat Gupta (2 hours later)

Hello,

I suggest sleep hygiene measures to be followed if you have difficulty falling asleep. It means conditioning you and your external envirnoment to suit to the sleep. A short walk, small meal for dinner, hot shower bath can be tried. If the measures does not help.

Alternatively, try meditation for relieving stress and anxiety they give better results over long term.

For immediate help you can either take antianxiety drugs like alprazolam or sleep inducing medicines like Zolpidem etc. These drugs are not available over the counter at most places, so consult a physician near you.

Hope this helps

Take care
Dr Rajat Gupta

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar