You always want your muscles to be free from pain, isn't it?  Once your muscles are free from pain you will feel extremely relaxed.

This in turn will help you sleep better. Who does not like a good, deep sleep? Sleep is one of the best things God has gifted us with.

If you are someone who constantly suffers from muscle aches and pains then you will know how it can make sleeping difficult. Let us explore the connection between sleep and muscle relaxers.

Muscle relaxers are used in treating spasms (that cause tightness, rigidity, and stiffness), cramps, and pains associated with muscles.

It also helps in neck pain, back pain, and Fibromyalgia. Muscle relaxers have a drug class of skeletal muscle relaxants (Meleger, A.L., 2006).

Working of Muscle Relaxers

Muscle relaxers work on the body by obstructing the pain sensation in the brain. Every muscle in the body is interlinked in performing physical activity. Physical activities lead to muscle contraction and it cause pain (Meleger, A.L., 2006).

5 Top Medicines that are muscle relaxers

Most muscle relaxers are prescription-only drugs. They cannot be bought over the counter. Here is the list of the top 5 medicines.

  • Metaxalone

This medication helps in overcome neck and back pain. It has mild effects. It will also help you in treating sprains and strains in the muscle.

  • Methocarbamol

This medication is one of the cheapest. It works a bit slow on the body. It works on same muscles as the above medication.

  • Cyclobenzaprine

This medication comes with a warning to be used only at night. Day usage would lead to side effects. It is used for short term cure.

  • Tizanidine

This medication is used for patients who are suffering from spasticity. It has a few side effects compared to other medicines.

  • Baclofen

This medication is used for spasticity caused in the spinal cord. Some people might feel drowsiness with consumption of the medication.

Do Muscle Relaxers Make you Sleepy?

Drowsiness is a common side effect of muscle relaxers.  For best results of a muscle relaxer to work on your body consume it at night.

A study made by W J Reynolds et al. observed the consequences of cyclobenzaprine (muscle relaxers). 12 patients were gathered suffering from fibromyalgia. Lately, it has been shown people suffer from a common side effect of sleeping (ALJAMALI, N.M., SURVEY ON).

Using Muscle Relaxers just for Sleep Disorders

Caution: If you have sleep disorder, you can take muscle relaxers only if prescribed.

Muscle Relaxers May Not Always Cause Drowsiness

According to a study made by Jenny Ko, Cyclobenzaprine medicine used for analysing the effects on sleep. Patients were treated with cyclobenzaprine extended release 15mg and 30mg of dosage for muscle spasm. As conclusion, many patients were found with little to no drowsiness.

How long Will You Feel Sleepy?

Muscle relaxers starts working  within half- an hour of consumption. It will makes you sleepy till it lasts in your body for 4 to 6 hours.

Other Side Effects Caused By Muscle Relaxers

Apart from sleepiness, other side effects. Such as:

  • Fatigue
  • Constipation
  • Nausea
  • Blurred vision
  • Fainting

These are a few of the side effects listed. There can be other side effects too.

Why you should not mix Alcohol and Muscle Relaxers?

Consuming alcohol should be avoided during the medication process. Muscle relaxers themselves have effects that will make you sleep, and drinking alcohol can lead to more severe effects.

If both are consumed together it can compress your central nervous system. This will make your brain work slow and create problems.

Conclusion

To put in perspective, yes most muscle relaxers not only relax your muscles but also make you sleepy. It is important that you do not perform any activity that needs alertness after consuming muscle relaxers.

It is ideal to consume muscle relaxers at night. The brand of the muscle relaxers you use plays a critical role. Cyclobenzaprine is one such medicine that is proven to not cause sleepiness on the other hand Methocarbamol makes you sleepy.

Finally, if you suffer from insomnia then you should consume medicines that address insomnia. Randomly consuming muscle relaxants off label to help you sleep is not advisable.

 

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