You’ve tried all the usual ways to get your child to bed on time: sticking to a nightly routine; stopping them from eating and drinking well before bedtime, etc. However, none of these seem to work well so you’re caving in to the idea of getting a children sleep aid. Here are some facts that would encourage you. Facts you probably don’t know about how children sleep aids are being prescribed.

Pediatrics (May 2003), a medical journal, has an article that surveyed 671 pediatricians on when, why and what they actually prescribed or recommended prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids for children and adolescents.

When, Why and What Doctors Use Sleep Aids For Children

1. More than half of the pediatricians surveyed had prescribed sleeping pills to children at least once in the last six months. Apparently, your children are not the only ones having sleeping problems and the doctors recognize that.

2. About 55% of physicians said they prescribed sleeping medication to treat sleep problems in children to “provide the family with needed respite.” This includes the short-term use of over-the-counter medications for specific situations, such as travel, acute pain or stress.

75% of those paediatricians had recommended a non prescription sleep aid, including the antihistamine Benadryl. 25% of them recommended melatonin or other herbal remedy, such as chamomile teas and valerian root.

3. The other half of paediatricians said they used sleep medications in “special needs” children i.e. mental retardation, autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This usually requires long-term use of children sleep aids or medication like Tenex which is used as a sedative in kids with ADHD. The most commonly prescribed sleeping pills were alpha-agonists. One brand name is Calapres, a hypertension drug for adults that has sedating properties.

4. Lastly, it must be noted that most of the paediatricians interviewed said they prescribed the children sleep aids “in combination with behavioral treatments.” So, sleep hygiene and techniques are still just as important as having effective sleep aids for kids.

Two Common Sleep Problems in Young Children

Behavioral treatments must go hand in hand with any children sleep aid because many children have childhood behavioral insomnia. This sleep disorder involves one or both of the two following problems:

1. Sleep-onset association

Everyone wakes up briefly a few times at night especially during the stage of sleep called rapid eye movement (REM) when our dreams occur. Usually, we are unaware of these awakenings and return to sleep quickly.

As for young children, they may cry when they wake up. Parents naturally “help” their child return to sleep by feeding, rocking, holding or lying down with their child.

The child learns to connect or “associate” going to sleep with a person or activity. She is unable to fall asleep on her own when that action is missing.

2. Limit-setting problems

Your child refuses to go to bed, stalls, or makes it hard for you to leave the bedside. Usually begins from the age of two, limit-setting problems can occur at bedtime, nap time, or when your child wakes up during the night.

It can be hard but you need to discern what’s real and what’s simply a delay tactic. They may ask for one more hug, a tissue, a drink of water, another story, to have the light turned off or on, or to “tell you something important.

You need to be firm and consistent about the time for bed even if the child disagrees or seems active and alert. Don’t give in to them as it will only encourage the behavior. Children thrive within well-defined environments. Hence, the need for limits or boundaries to their sleep habits.

Your insomnia comes and goes? You need at least 5 hours of sleep? You want something fast that you can get without a prescription. Besides, you really don’t want to mess with those presumably “heavy duty” prescription sleeping medications. So here are the fast facts about non prescription sleep aids to guide you.

Usually, non prescription sleep aids generally refer to 2 types of sleep aids. They are the antihistamines and the dietary supplements.

Antihistamines:

1. How do they work? The ones used as non prescription sleep aids have been around for awhile, probably since you were a kid. These are the very drugs you take when you have cough and cold or allergies.

These antihistamines are very popular not just because they are effective for your cough and allergies. You recover faster because the “benefit” of their side effect of prolonged drowsiness “forces” your body to rest and recover. In the same way, you are basically using the drowsiness side effect to get you to sleep

2. What are they? Antihistamines used as non prescription sleep aids consist of 2 types of active ingredients i.e. diphenhydramine and doxylamine

3. Popular brands are:

Sominex, Nytol, Tylenol PM, Benadryl (Diphenhydramine compound) Unisom, Equate (Doxylamine compound)

4. Side effects that are common:

Prolonged drowsiness or hangover effect that impairs driving, etc Dizziness Fatigue Headaches Reduced alertness Vomiting

Racing heartbeat and constipation are also becoming frequent complaints in this group of non prescription sleep aids.

5. Who Can’t Use Them

However, there are certain groups of people who cannot use the antihistamines as a non prescription sleep aid. As with any medication, they are not for pregnant or nursing women due to unknown risk of drug transfer to the fetus and young infant on mother’s milk.

You are advised against taking diphenhydramine (Sominex, Nytol) if you have:

Heart problems Glaucoma Enlarged prostate

Especially for Unisom, you can’t even take them if you’ve got asthma or bronchitis.

6. Other precautions when you take the antihistamines.

Avoid alcohol. It increases the sedative effects of the pills. Even a small amount of alcohol combined with sleep aids can make you feel dizzy, confused or faint.

Never mix with a sleeping pill, sedative, tranquilizer, or another antihistamine. This could lead to dangerous drug-drug interaction outcomes.

Dietary Supplements:

2 of the most popular dietary supplements used as non prescription sleep aids are melatonin and valerian. This is followed by chamomile, a much milder non prescription sleep aid, that is frequently combined with other herbs as supplements in capsules.

Melatonin

It’s a hormone secreted from the pineal gland in our brain. It regulates our bodies’ internal clock or circadian rhythm i.e when it’s time to go to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. Melatonin has created much interest among researchers; you will find over 14,000 studies on this hormone compared to valerian with 556 studies, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) database.

Melatonin is probably the most widely prescribed among herbal non prescription sleep aids. Even 15% of pediatricians who prescribe sleep aids for children with insomnia recommend melatonin, according to the medical journal Pediatrics (2002).

Its synthetic form is available in many brands; AVOID natural forms that are basically melatonin derived from animal’s pineal glands due to possible contamination Side effects that are common are daytime drowsiness headaches, dizziness, a “heavy-head” feeling, stomach discomfort It may interact with common drugs

Valerian

It’s a plant; its active ingredient is still unclear therefore how it works is unclear too. Valerian appears to increase the body’s available supply of the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). It’s generally thought to help reduce the time to get to sleep.

Valerian is less effective than prescription sleep medication. One possible advantage of valerian, however, is that it does not seem to cause as much of a “hangover” effect the next day. Also, people taking sleeping pills sometimes have a temporary worsening of insomnia when they are discontinued (rebound insomnia), an effect that hasn’t been reported with valerian.

Available in many brands but hard to compare as the potencies of various ingredients vary from preparation to preparation. Generally safe when taken in recommended dosages. However, high doses of valerian can cause nausea, headaches, dizziness, vivid dreams, weakened heartbeat and even paralysis. Not to be used by pregnant or nursing women like any other non prescription sleep aid It may strongly react with other prescription on non prescription sleep aids, alcohol, and other medications

Chamomile

It’s one of nature’s oldest herbal sleep aid used for centuries. It is best known as one of the gentlest non prescription sleep aids around. The active ingredients are flavonoids namely, chrysin and apigenin, believed to reduce restlessness helping one feel more relaxed and more prepared to sleep.

It also has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. That’s why it’s also popularly used in cases of stomach irritation.

Known as a ‘plant doctor’ stimulating the health of other plants, you will find it in countless brands as it is popularly combined with other herbs to make standardized herbal remedies. It does not lead to dependency and has not been shown to have any side effects. However, it may cause allergic reactions in people who have plant or pollen allergies. Avoid using with other prescription on non prescription sleep aids, alcohol and medication as it may increase their effects