april 28 2012151 if you have trouble sleeping the recent headlines linking sleeping pills to death probably arent helping a new study in the journal bmj open links even the occasional use of prescription sleeping pills also called hypnotics to an increased risk of death and cancer researchers looked at the medical records of more than 10500 people who took prescription sleep aidssuch as ambien and restoriland compared them to people who didnt take the meds the findings those who took as few as eight pills a year had about a 350 percent increased risk of death top 10 prescription drugs and natural alternatives before you panic the study doesnt actually prove that sleeping pills kill we cant be sure that there is causality here says study author dr robert langer but we know that there is a strong association that will not go away if youre one of the millions of americans struggling with sleep you may want to give some natural remedies a try these expertapproved tips can help take you to dreamlandand keep you there pick a time and stick to it bedtimes arent just important for toddlers going to bed and waking up at the same time every day keeps your internal biological clock on track says sleep specialist michael breus phd in fact if you need an alarm clock you should be going to bed earlier he hasnt used one in 20 years want to stay up a little later on the weekend go for it but make sure you wake up at the same time as you would on a weekday so you dont mess with your internal clockand try not to get less than 65 hours of shuteye schedule earlier sweat sessions exercise may make you feel exhausted but a latenight workout could make getting to sleep tough when your body gets all revved up and ready to exercise it stays revved which can inhibit sleep says dr breus avoid exercising four hours before lights out not realistic for your schedule taking a hot bath after your workout approximately 90 minutes before bed will raise your core body temperature when your temperature goes back to normal it will cause a release in melatonin a hormone that regulates sleep count your way back to sleep getting to sleep is just one battleactually staying there wins you the war if you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night try a twist on counting sheep dr breus tells his patients to count backward from 300 by threes sounds boring right good youre likely to doze off somewhere in the middle how otc drugs may impair your driving skills try a natural remedy herbs like valerian root passion flower and magnolia bark available at most health food stores can all aid with sleep and can be consumed in a tea or supplement format for people who have trouble falling asleep a melatonin supplement can be a safe and effective fix when taken in