You’re exhausted and can’t seem to focus. But when you lie down in bed, you have a hard time falling asleep. By the time you do fall asleep, you’ve already been in bed for hours. Before you know it, your alarm has rung again when you feel like you’ve barely slept a wink. If you aren’t getting much shut-eye, it's no wonder you’re irritable during the day. You probably have poor focus and concentration, as well. If poor sleep quality is starting to affect your everyday life, then think about using sleep supplements. Here are advantages and disadvantages that you can expect. Being fully aware of both will help you decide which supplements will work best for you. 

Pros 

Using natural sleep supplements can help you in the following ways: 

• Improves the quality of your sleep. When you wake up, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to face the day. 
• Enhances concentration. With better sleep, you can focus with ease. Your concentration also improves. 
• Better mood. You won’t feel irritable. You’ll also be in a better mood because you’re likely bursting with energy. 
• Health and wellbeing. With better sleep quality, you improve your health. Sleep is when your body recharges, so not getting enough sleep is detrimental to your general health and wellbeing. 

Cons 

There are plenty of cons that come with sleep aids, though. That’s why you’ll want to use them only as a last resort. If nothing you try works—not the calming whale sounds or chamomile tea—you’ll need to resort to sleep aids. Here are some of the cons that you might experience: 

• Reliance. About 56 percent of Americans now use sleep supplements and sleep medications. This raises concerns. Primarily, though, the biggest worry is reliance on these aids. If your body gets used to the sleep aids, you might not fall asleep without using one any longer. 
• Withdrawal. When you stop using the sleep aid, you might struggle falling asleep as a result. This disrupts your natural sleep patterns. Some medications also lead to REM sleep rebound. When you stop using the sleep aid, you have trouble falling asleep again and that only increases the amount of your sleep debt, which is sleep that your body needs. 
• Throws Off Body Clock. Regular use of sleep aids could also compromise your circadian rhythm, which is your body’s internal clock. 
• Drowsiness. Some sleep aids compromise some of your functions during the day like your alertness, memory, and learning. You experience daytime drowsiness. It also flattens your energy levels. 

Yes or Nay? 

Sleep aids work. But it’s important that you use them sparingly. Don’t abuse sleep supplements or you’ll have a harder time fixing and recovering your sleep-wake cycle. If you plan to use sleep aids after surgery to help you fall asleep while you recover, your doctor will tell you more about that. If you have any questions, ask. You could also bring up sleep aid options you’ve heard about before. That way, your doctor can go over those options with you and advise you on the best one.