Some medications and dietary supplements cause excessive sleepiness, while others can interfere with sleep and cause insomnia. “If we want a good night’s sleep, we should not swallow certain medications after 18 p.m.” — the doctor advises.
What time to take medications?
«Certain medications and dietary supplements can make us anxious or agitated. So it’s important to ask your doctor about the best time of day to take them» — advised Dr. Jacob Hascalovici, a neuroscientist, neurologist and chronic pain specialist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, speaking to eatthis.com.
The expert pays attention to drugs that we should not take in the evening. For example, corticosteroids, often prescribed to treat inflammation and pain, can cause insomnia. Some doctors recommend taking the entire daily dose of these preparations in the morning, because the pains are often stronger in the morning, e.g. just after waking up, but also because corticosteroids can stimulate the body too much and increase insomnia.
They were also on the list of drugs recommended until 18 p.m. glucosamine and chondroitin also taken for joint pain and inflammation. «Both supplements are constituents of cartilage and can help slow down the destruction of cartilage in your joints. However, insomnia and headaches can be a side effect of these supplements » — says Dr. Hascalovici.
It is also worth paying attention to the composition multiwitamin. Some multivitamin supplements contain caffeine, green tea, or other substances designed to increase energy and concentration. They should not be taken at bedtime. It is best to take multivitamin preparations in the morning as well.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) prescribed for depression and sometimes also to treat pain, in some patients they can cause great agitation and sleep disturbance, so they should not be swallowed in the evening.
Medicines and dietary supplements. What to combine with?
Dr. Hascalovici also advises you to ask your doctor about whether the combinations of drugs we are taking are appropriate. Here the expert draws attention to preparations containing the recently popular ashwagandha.
«Ashwagandha is recognized as an effective supplement in coping with anxiety and stress, and it also helps some patients with inflammation, pain control and insomnia. But research into the properties of ashwagandha is still ongoing ». Therefore, the doctor advises you to be cautious when taking it and ask your doctor if it is interfering with the effects of other medications you are taking.
You can buy ashwagandha supplements at medonetmarket.pl:
- EKO ashwagandha root for PLN 12,90
- Ashwagandha ANTI-STRESS
- Swanson’s bestseller – Ashwagandha for improving the well-being and efficiency of the body
- Ashwagandha for women – Panaseus dietary supplement