Sonata is a prescription sleeping pill used to treat short term insomnia or difficulty sleeping. This medication is a hypnotic that causes relaxation in the body to help you fall asleep. Since Sonata begins working rapidly, you should only take it when you are ready and able to lie down and go to sleep.
How Does Sonata Work?
The active ingredient in Sonata is zaleplon. Zaleplon is a sedative or hypnotic that works directly on the gamma amino butyric acid or GABA receptors in the brain. This provides a calming effect throughout the body and depresses overactive areas of the brain that may be preventing sleep.
Is Sonata an Effective Sleep Aid?
Sonata has been shown to be very effective at helping people to fall asleep, and do so quickly. In studies it has been noticed that while Sonata begins working rapidly to induce sleep, it doesn’t help people to stay asleep any longer than usual, or avoid waking up frequently during the night. Sonata only seems to be effective at helping to initially fall asleep.
Side Effects of Sonata
As with most prescription drug sleep therapies, Sonata may cause a variety of side effects including:
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Coordination problems
- Numbness, burning, and tingling in the hands or feet
- Headaches
- Loss of appetite
- Vision problems
- Eye pain
- Sensitivity to noise
- Distorted sense of smell
- Painful menstrual periods
Some other more serious side effects that may occur are:
- Rashes
- Itching
- Hives
- Swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, or eyes
- Hoarse or dry throat
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing
If you do not go to bed immediately after taking Sonata you may experience memory problems. Make sure to contact your doctor if you experience anything unusual while taking Sonata.
Final Word on Sonata
Sonata has been shown to be very effective at quickly inducing sleep. It does not help you to stay asleep any longer though, and it does not help those that are waking up frequently during the night. Depending on what your insomnia issues are Sonata may or may not be the right treatment option. If you only have problems when you are first trying to go to sleep at night then Sonata may be just the thing, but if your problems come from waking up too early in the morning or waking up throughout the night, this probably is not the best option.
There is a risk that dependence and addiction can occur while taking Sonata, especially if the drug is taken over a lengthy period of time. Sonata is only approved for the short-term treatment of insomnia, and usually should not be taken any longer then a few days or weeks, depending on what your doctor prescribes. Some Sonata users have experienced withdrawal symptoms after they stop taking it. If this is your sleep treatment of choice you will want to work closely with your doctor and follow all of the guidelines he gives you help avoid any of these problems.
