Is Weight Gain a Side Effect of Modern Sleeping Pills?

With your good work ethics, positive outlook on life, healthy diet and lifestyle, you seem like a person who has it all figured out. What people don't see is that you have to take a sleeping pill to get the rest your body needs. And without these pills, you lay awake all night. Despite your religious workout regime, you've now begun to notice that your weight has jumped up a few pounds. What could it be that is causing this to happen? Could it be because of the sleeping pills you take? To answer your questions it depends on the type of medication you use and for the period of time you've been using it. Prescription medication, such as Ambien, taken without a prescription and a consultation with your doctor, over long periods of time, appears to be causing weight gain. However, health practitioners argue that this medication doesn't alter the mental or physical characteristics responsible for weight gain. So why does Prescription Medication cause weight gain?Prescription sleeping medication causes an increase in weight due to one common factor found in all medication. This medication causes the body to forcefully relax without adequately reducing the brain activity simultaneously. This allows your body to rest only partially, and if parts of your brain remain active, it can make your body perform actions without you realizing it. This unconscious behavior often manifests in the form of sleepwalking, and the severity of this condition ranges from as minor as walking around your room, to eating, cleaning, and even driving in this state. This way, you may be overeating every night without realizing it, after taking a sleeping pill.

Sleep medication also makes people stay asleep for longer than they would usually sleep without using any medication. The drowsiness when you wake up often results in overeating to compensate for the lack of energy; this is also a contributor to weight gain. How to counter the weight gain effect of sleeping medicationFirst things first, sleeping pills aren't the type of medication that should be used for longer than two weeks, especially prescription medication. This only causes you to build up tolerance against the medication, without any benefits. Doctors make sure that a patient isn't on strong medication for long periods of time, and if you happen to be self-medicating, then there is your answer. You have to stop that. If you have a history of performing unconscious actions while sleeping, then make sure you mention this to your doctor and take the measures to protect yourself against it. Ask your roommates or spouse to prevent you from sleepwalking as best as they can.

Source : articlesbase.com