Clonidine for sleep: Insomnia is affecting your sleep, some people already have it, they may feel problems like, staying asleep, falling asleep, may feel unrested during the day. Also, you may hear that clonidine can treat insomnia.
Clonidine is mostly used to treat high blood pressure and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it’s not FDA-approved for insomnia.
Still, some clinical trials suggest that clonidine may be helpful in treating insomnia. But the results are limited. So, read this article till the end to know everything about clonidine for sleep.
Table of Contents
What is Clonidine for Sleep
Clonidine belongs to drugs called Central alpha agonists and it can be used to treat high blood pressure. Also, clonidine effects on the prefrontal cortex (it is part of our brain). This part helps to regulate attention, expression and behaviour.
Clonidine comes in different tablets or forms, such as extended-release tablets, immediate-release tablets and patches.
The extended-release tablets are used in children for treating Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The clonidine patches and immediate-release tablets are used to treat high blood pressure.
Clonidine for Insomnia
Clonidine has some side effects including drowsiness. And studies show that clonidine treats for insomnia and according to a meta-analysis, that clonidine may help to fall asleep more quickly and less wake-up during the night.
Still, these studies did not provide enough information to confirm clonidine as an effective treatment for insomnia, more searches needed on clonidine for sleep.
Side Effects of Clonidine
There are some common side effects of clonidine including:
- Headache
- Dry mouth
- Dry eyes
- Stomach pain and upset
- Dizziness
Clonidine also has some serious side effects including:
- Chest pain
- Can get trouble breathing and slowly breathing
- Abnormal heart rate
Any Other Treatment for Insomnia
The main treatment for insomnia is to change your lifestyle, if you want to treat insomnia then follow the below lifestyle changes.
Don’t
- Don’t watch TV in your bedroom
- Don’t use your phone in your bedroom or on bed
- Don’t take naps during the day
- Don’t eat heavy meal before bedtime and don’t drink coffee in the evening
Do’s
- Sleep in a dark room or wear an eye mask
- Use your bed room only for sleep
Lifestyle change can improve your sleeping problems but also, it’s important to talk to a doctor and take some advice and certain medications to help to treat insomnia.
Important Note Before Use Clonidine
Well, medicines can be used for different persons in different ways. So, before taking any tablets you may ask the advice of a pharmacist or doctor, if you feel that you are not sure about something.
Clonidine is approved to treat Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and high blood pressure, but there is not enough data that shows it will be used as a treatment for insomnia.
If you’re having trouble sleeping or slowly sleeping then try first lifestyle changes, it doesn’t work on you, then consult a doctor or talk to doctor about your lifestyle changes.
Your doctor is able to assist great treatment for insomnia that is more effective for you.
QNA on Clonidine for Sleep
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How Much Clonidine Should I Take for Sleep?
Before taking any kind of dose, kindly talk to the doctor, but generally adults – 0.17 milligram (mg) once a day (at bedtime). And for children you must and should talk to a doctor.
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How Long Does it Take Clonidine to Make you Sleepy?
Generally, it will take about 2 hours because after taking clonidine, it does take a minute to kick in, and may make you sleep a full 8 to 9 hours. So, make sure that you don’t take clonidine if it’s only a nap.
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Can you Take Clonidine at Night?
Clonidine is generally taken at bedtime and in the morning, if you take the larger dose at bedtime that will give your best effect remember clonidine can be taken with food or without food.
Conclusion
Make sure that before taking any tablets or any kind of medications, surely talk to a doctor because they can recommend you the best process of taking. This is general and personal experience information.
Hopefully you like this article, if you have any questions and any suggestions kindly put them in the comment box below.
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