Insomnia is the nightly battle that is played out in many bedrooms across America each and every night. When you are unable to either fall asleep or stay asleep and this pattern continues night after night you may be suffering from insomnia.

If it has never been properly diagnosed before, you might consider having a conversation with your health care provider before deciding to treat yourself with over-the-counter medication.

The most commonly used over-the-counter sleep aids are known as antihistamines. Typically used for those suffering from allergies, antihistamines do have an effect which causes them to help you sleep.

Some sleep aids also contain pain relievers, such as Tylenol PM, which contains both Benadryl, which is an antihistamine, and Tylenol which is a pain reliever. You must also remember that even though you can purchase over the counter sleep aids, they should never be used without your physician's approval.

It can be dangerous to your health. Also you must remember that's sleep aids should never be used in conjunction with alcohol. It exacerbates the effects of both creating a dangerous situation.

Besides over-the-counter antihistamines, you might also consider taking melatonin supplements which have been reported to help provide more restful sleep. This naturally occurring hormone is produced in the body as day turns into night essentially preparing the body to sleep.

Melatonin helps to lower the body temperature and trigger other chemical changes within the body that signals the body it is time to rest for the night. However, you must be aware that there are currently no regulatory controls in place to test nutritional supplements and so they must be used with extreme caution and only on the advice of your physician.

Other natural sleep remedies also include herbal preparations such as lemon balm, valerian root, chamomile, and even St. John's Wort. Just like nutritional supplements there are no regulatory agencies or research studies that can back up the sometimes outlandish claims of these insomnia cures.

If you are the one of the millions battling insomnia, your initial step is to take a deep breath and make the phone call to your health care provider to schedule an appointment to discuss the issue.

Insomnia should not be tolerated nor is it something that you simply must hard to live with. There are many options available for insomnia treatment including natural sleep aids such as herbal and natural remedies, prescription medication and over-the-counter medications. It may take a few weeks to determine which combination of therapies will work best for you.

After all, isn't it time that you reclaim your nights and win the war on insomnia.