Many people have problems getting a good night's sleep. It may be that they can't get to sleep, or that they go to sleep, but wake up a short time later and are unable to get back to sleep.
Out of desperation, the frequent solution is to take a sleeping pill.
Surely this can't be a bad thing? After all the doctor prescribed them!
Unfortunately, medical students don't receive a lot of tuition about insomnia, or other forms of sleep deprivation. They also don't receive in depth training on the side effects of most sleeping pills.
The fact is that sleeping pills, taken on a regular basis, can be very detrimental to ones health.
Below is information I unearthed during my research into the effects of sleeping pills on the human body.
Those persons who use sleeping pills have significantly higher mortality rates than those who do not.
Studies and tests carried out with several million participants, have determined that there is a 25% increased mortality rate among people who take a sleeping pill nightly, and a 10-15% increased mortality if sleeping pills are taken occasionally.
Having said that, it is virtually impossible to prove that sleeping pills cause the mortality associated with their use, or, whether the sleeping pills exacerbated an underlying health problem such as heart disease.
Further studies need to be done to show the exact role sleeping pills play in this high mortality rate.
In the earlier tests one cause of death was especially
increased. Among men, those who took sleeping pills 30 times a month had 7 times the risk of suicide, and women who took sleeping pills 30 times a month had 2 times the risk of suicide.
Sleeping pills , including the newer generations do little or nothing to improve chronic insomnia because they do not treat the cause of insomnia.
Sleeping pills are highly addictive. They are similar to barbiturates and it is extremely difficult to stop taking them.
Because insomniacs continue to use them, long-term
chemical dependency results. In other words addiction to prescription drugs!
Sleeping pills reduce brain cell activity during the day, affecting short-term memory which can cause further worry to the user as they begin to fear that they may be getting
dementia.
The hangover effect of most sleeping pills is similar to the effects of having disturbed sleep. In older people this frequently means that they will drop off to sleep while watching the television or reading the paper. Neither of these things help with their sleep problem.
Sleeping pills accentuate the GABA neurotransmitter, which is responsible in keeping the nerve cells in the lung tissue from firing. This is why an overdose of sleeping pills will cause asphyxiation and over 1000 overdose related deaths each year.
This same neurotransmitter is also responsible for impaired physical ability.
Each year, thousands of traffic deaths, accidents and falls (especially in the elderly) are attributed to
sleeping pills.
Sleep Apnea patients should never take sleeping pills as they increase the pauses and length of pauses in breathing. Someone with sleep apnea could suffer brain or eye damage from the lack of oxygen ,or they may even die.
Anyone over the age of 40 should be cautioned against sleeping pills, and anyone over the age of 65 should never take sleeping pills.
Studies show that a high percentage of people over 40
have some symptoms of sleep apnea, and many persons over the age of 65 would be clinically diagnosed with sleep apnea.
Chronic insomia needs to be treated by a sleep specialist. Your local doctor will be able to refer you to one.
