Hello and thanks for the query.

First of all let me tell you that you are certainly not alone in experiencing this concern. Anxiety as well as sleep disturbance is extremely prevalent. While there are many causes related to this the solution is generally multifactorial. By this I mean there are several things which you can focus on to help mitigate what is causing the problem.

One of the most common causes of sleep disturbance is anxiety. In addition depression can certainly play a role. Depression can come in many forms and can be very mild to very severe and disabling. Depending on the things that are going on in your life you can try to take control of those and help mitigate what is going on.

Before we talk about medication I suggest that you consider a couple of other things. First of all I think you really need to focus on exercise. I suggest that you exercise at least four or five days per week for at least 30 min. Exercise will certainly help to mitigate the anxiety and can help with symptoms of depression as well. Secondly I suggest that you pursue some kind of relaxation which might include meditation or possibly yoga. Those have also been shown to help mitigate these kinds of things. As far as diet try to make sure that your diet is well balanced. I would also decrease intake of caffeine or alcohol if those are things which you consumer regularly.

As far as medications are concerned there are a couple of options. One option is an over-the-counter medication called Benadryl. Benadryl has been used successfully to help induce sleep and maintain sleep in some patients. I generally recommend a dose of 25 mg as a trial. There are certain side effects of Benadryl including dry mouth as well is dry eyes. These are things you want to be aware of. Also Benadryl can have a hangover affect the next morning which can make you feel somewhat groggy during the day as the Benadryl wears off. I think it would be fine and safe for you to try taking one of these for a few nights to see if this will help you get some rest.

If Benadryl is not effective you could consider a prescription medication. There are several different prescription sleeping pills which your primary care provider could consider giving to you. Finally one last option would be taking an antidepressant on a daily basis to help boost your serotonin levels. Serotonin is one of the hormones are body uses in the situations of stress and anxiety. Some of these medications help to boost the serotonin level to help improve our feelings on a day-to-day basis and they may also help you get some sleep if that has been a problem for you.

Again I thank you for submitting your question. I hope you have found my answer to be both informative and helpful. If you have additional concerns I would be happy to discuss them and you can forward these along to me as well.

Sincerely,

Dr. Galamaga

---