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                Women's Health Topics

Women's Health Topics

                        5 Healthy Aging Tips for Women
          Women and Anxiety
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          HPV (human papillomavirus)
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          Osteoporosis
          Women and Pain Medicines
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          Women's Health
          Women's Health Topics
          Sleep ProblemsWomen's Health Topics Sleep Problems
  
  					From the FDA Office of Women's Health
	
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En Español

Medicines to Help You Sleep

Tips for Better Sleep

**Basic Facts About Sleep**

Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Not everyone gets the sleep they need.

Once in a while, you may have trouble sleeping due to:

Stress
	Health problems and medicines
	Long work hours/ shift work
	Light or noise
	Drinking alcohol or eating too close to bedtimeIf you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep most nights, you may have a sleep problem called insomnia.

Some people have more serious sleep problems. Talk to your doctor if you:

Fall asleep during the day
	Snore or make choking sounds in your sleep
	Have odd feelings in your legs or feel like you need to move your legs**Medicines to Help You Sleep**

There are medicines that may help you fall asleep or stay asleep. You need a doctor’s prescription for some sleep drugs. You can get other over-the-counter (OTC) medicines without a prescription.

**Prescription**

Prescription sleep medicines work well for many people, but they can cause serious side effects.

Talk to your doctor about all the risks and benefits of using prescription sleep medicines.
	Sleep drugs taken for insomnia can affect your driving the morning after use.
	Sleep drugs can cause rare side effects like:
	Severe allergic reactions
		Severe face swelling
		Behaviors like making phone calls, eating, having sex or driving while you are not fully awake**Over-the-Counter (OTC)**

OTC sleep drugs have side effects too. Read the "**Drug Facts Label"** to learn more about the side effects of your OTC sleep medicine.

**Tips for Better Sleep**

Making some changes to your night time habits may help you get the sleep you need.

Go to bed and get up at the same times each day.
	Sleep in a dark, quiet room.
	Avoid caffeine and nicotine.
	Don’t drink alcohol before bedtime.
	Do something to help you relax before bedtime.
	Don’t exercise before bedtime.
	Don’t take a nap after 3 p.m.
	Don’t eat a large meal before you go to sleep.**Talk to your healthcare provider if you have trouble sleeping almost every night for more than 2 weeks.**

To Learn More

Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs to treat Sleep Disorders
	Tips on using CPAP machine (video)Resources For You

Some Sleep Drugs Can Impair Driving
	Drugs to Treat Sleep Problems
	Get Other FDA Publications for Women
	For Women Homepage

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      04/12/2019Women's Health Topics

          
                        Aging
          Anxiety
          Caregiving
          Cholesterol medicines
          Clinical trials
          Contact lens care
          Cosmetics
          Depression
          Diabetes
          Dietary supplements
          Food safety
          Heart health
          High blood pressure
          HIV
          HPV
          Mammography
          Medication safety
          Medicine and pregnancy
          Menopause
          Osteoporosis
          Pain medicines
          Pregnancy
          Sleep problems
          Smoking
          Tattoos and permanent makeup
          Uterine fibroids


                        Pregnancy Exposure Registries
          Free publications for women
 
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