Is Ambien is a sleeping pill
Sleep is an essential part of our daily lifestyle, and it allows our body and mind to recharge and function properly. If you don’t sleep, you cannot concentrate well or do any task that requires attention.
In recent times, lack of sleep has been a common problem among us. Several different factors like screens, stress, and the environment are affecting our natural ability to sleep.
Sleep affects your whole body, improper sleep can cause many health-related disadvantages, and it reduces the overall ability of a person to function the cognitive behaviors properly.
Ambien is a sedative-hypnotic that allows you to get asleep or to sleep for a more extended period. It stimulates and releases chemicals in the brain that promote calm and relaxing effects, inducing sleep in the user.
Is Ambien safe to sleep?
Ambien is considerably safer than its counterparts benzodiazepine, but it is not the safest option to use. There is fare share of issues that are associated with the usage of Ambien.
Some of the common side effects that Ambien produces are dizziness or drowsiness, and because of it, the authorities made it unfit to drive when you are on Ambien. In addition, as you are not entirely aware of the risk of an accident is increased.
The alarming situation occurs when Ambien shows effects like Sleepwalking, sleep-driving, and sleep eating. This situation can become very dangerous because you are unaware and don’t know what you are doing or where you are going.
How long will Ambien make you sleep?
Ambien is a fast-acting drug and starts to show its effects after 30 minutes of intake. However, the drug’s peak effect takes between 1 to 2 hours, depending upon the user. Therefore, Ambien is only used as a short-term based treatment for insomnia.
The duration of sleep depends on the age, gender, and metabolism of the user. Some foods can also lower the release cycle of Ambien, which leads to the delayed effects of the drug. However, Ambien allows the user to get a night of complete sleep.
Can you take Ambien every night for sleep?
Ambien is designed to be used for a short period because it can create severe issues like Addiction and Dependence in the user. Therefore, the maximum time you can use it is around 4 to 6 weeks, nothing more than that.
You should avoid taking Ambien if you can sleep on your own; Ambien provides very desirable effects. However, long-term use of Ambien increases the chances of addiction and withdrawal symptoms.
People tend to build tolerance because of the prolonged use of the drug. Then they start taking a higher dose to see the desired effects; this loop keeps increasing till you get dependent on the drug.
Tolerance
When you start using any drug, it seems like you are not getting the effects that you used to get after some time. The decrease of the effects is because your body has become habitual to the drug, and it starts making you feel normal with the drug.
Dependence
Dependence occurs when your body is usually working without Ambien. As it is a brain stimulant, it changes the brain chemistry by releasing GABA (Gama-aminobutyric acid) in the brain. The dependence occurs when the body stops making these chemicals adapt to the artificial way of releasing the chemical in the brain.
Addiction
Addiction is when you know that something is severely harming you, but you cannot give it up. For example, people abuse Ambien for an extended period, and the abuse eventually leads to addiction. You can also see withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop taking the drug.
Hence, you can take Ambien daily but only as a short-term treatment because long-term usage can create severe complications.
Can Ambien be harmful?
Ambien is a potent drug, and it has various side effects that can become harmful if not used properly. Some of these effects commonly occur if you are new to the medicine but go away after some time.
These side effects also occur because Ambien affects the Central Nervous System by altering the chemical release in the brain, leading to different effects in the body. After all, the body does not adapt to these circumstances.
Common side effects of Ambien
- Dizziness
- Daytime sleepiness
- Headache
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Muscle pain
- Dry nose
- Lightheadedness
- Loss of coordination
These are some of the most common side effects that usually go away within days, but there can be instances where they persist or worsen. Therefore, you should immediately call your doctor if it happens to you.
Severe side effects
These side effects are severe and can cause serious harm to the users; they should be addressed as soon as you see them.
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- Feeling like passing out
- Irregular heartbeats
- Shortness of breath
- Change in personality
- Confusion
- Agitation
- Memory problems
- Suicidal thoughts
These effects require immediate medical attention because they can create scenarios that can put your life in danger.
Although it is not common, Ambien can cause allergic reactions, which can create severe problems if not addressed. You should watch if you see symptoms like:
- Extreme dizziness
- Rash, itching, and swelling of face, throat, and tongue.
- Trouble breathing
Is Ambien a safe drug?
Ambien is a safe drug as long you don’t misuse it. However, some precautions are needed to be taken to ensure the safety of the drug.
These are some general guidelines that can help you use Ambien correctly:
- you should take this medicine orally.
- Read the medication guide carefully.
- Avoid taking this medicine if you don’t have time for 7 to 8 hours of sleep.
- Avoid crushing or chewing the tablet because it can cause an overdose.
- It would help if you did not abruptly stop Ambien.
- Do not share this medicine with anyone.
- Inform your doctor if you think the medicine is not working.
Moving on to the precautions that are important for you to follow. You should tell your doctor if you have any of the conditions mentioned below:
- If you are allergic to zolpidem or any other substance.
- If you have kidney and liver disease.
- Mental and mood disorders such as depression and suicidal thoughts.
- History of substance abuse.
- Lungs or breathing problems such as sleep apnea.
- Muscle diseases such as myasthenia gravis.
These are some conditions that can become worse if you use Ambien before that.
