When you’re struggling to get a good night’s rest, prescription sleep aids may seem like the perfect solution: You simply take a pill and slip into slumber....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
While sleeping pills have some legitimate uses, they come with a lengthy list of significant risks and side effects people must be aware of, according to John Cline, PhD, a Connecticut-based licensed clinical psychologist specializing in sleep medicine and a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine.
If you’re grappling with a major life stressor, such as job loss, divorce, or a death in the family that’s keeping you up at night, your doctor may prescribe sleeping pills for a week or two to help you get much-needed rest, Dr. Cline says.“Sleeping pills are a temporary fix.
They’re a bridge — something to help break a pattern and help people get back on track,” he says.They can also be taken to help with insomnia, jet lag, or another temporary issue that’s keeping you up at night, according to the Sleep Foundation. Before you turn to medication to help you sleep, read up on the following risks associated with sleeping pills.
1. You Can Quickly Build Up a ToleranceWhen you take prescription sleeping pills over a long period of time, your body grows accustomed to the drug, says Preeti Devnani, MD, a staff physician at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center.
Essentially, you’ll need higher and higher doses to get the same sleep-inducing effect.“Sleep medications should not be used long term. They should be taken on an ‘as needed’ basis and, if possible, not scheduled nightly,” Dr. Devnani says.You shouldn’t take sleeping pills for longer than two weeks at the most, Cline says.
They’re meant to help you reestablish a normal sleep pattern. If you’re having trouble falling asleep at a desired sleep time, for example, you may take a sleeping pill to help you adjust to your bedtime schedule. After that, you should stop taking them.
2. You May Have Trouble Weaning Off Sleeping PillsThere’s a good reason why doctors won’t prescribe sleeping pills for more than two weeks: If you stick to them, you may become overreliant on them to help you snooze.
Once you’ve run out of your prescription, your insomnia may come back worse than before.Cline says that if you’re too dependent on sleeping pills, you may have to work with a physician to slowly taper off them, decreasing your dosage in increments of 15 to 25 percent so your body gradually adjusts to having less and less of the medication.
Some patients are referred to a psychologist for therapy to address the underlying issues tied to their insomnia, or your doctor may connect you with a sleep specialist to help you learn about sleep hygiene to help you improve your bedtime routine.
“It can be really scary if you spent months or years basically depending on medication for your sleep,” Cline says.Devnani notes that people who suddenly stop taking sleeping pills after regularly taking them face withdrawal symptoms too. These could include restlessness, anxiety, shivering, and nausea, according to InformedHealth.org, a publication by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care reproduced by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The NIH warns these painful side effects could trigger a “vicious cycle” — many people return to sleeping pills simply to get relief from withdrawal symptoms.
3. You Shouldn’t Mix Sleeping Pills With Other SubstancesIt’s crucial to pay attention to dosage when it comes to sleeping pills. Because of this, you need to steer clear of other medications that make you drowsy on evenings when you’re taking sleeping pills.
This includes antihistamines, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications that may have a sedating effect, Cline says.This extends to alcohol, too. You shouldn’t be drinking while taking sleeping pills, Devnani warns. “Combining two or more drugs that depress the central nervous system can lead to slowed breathing and even death.”
If you’re on other prescription drugs to treat a medical condition, consult with your doctor before adding sleeping pills to the mix.You should also talk to your doctor before taking any sleep aids if you have chronic lung conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as these drugs can further slow your breathing, according to the Sleep Foundation.
4. You’ll Feel Drowsy and Less AlertAcross the board, sleeping pills cause people to feel drowsy, dizzy, and mentally less sharp the morning after, says Cline. Call it the “morning after” effect. These symptoms are especially acute if you don’t give yourself an eight-hour window of rest to sleep off the effects of the medication or if you end up taking another dose midway through the night.
About 40 percent of Americans who take over-the-counter sleep medications said they felt foggy or drowsy the next morning, with another 32 percent of those taking a prescription sleep aid feeling these symptoms, according to a 2018 Consumer Reports survey.
They also dealt with constipation, dry mouth, and trouble urinating.To combat this, doctors recommend sticking to the recommended prescription and avoiding taking a second dose. Make sure you earmark at least eight hours of rest to devote to sleep, giving your body time to work off the medication’s effects by morning.
5. You’re at Risk of Erratic BehaviorFrom sleepwalking to amnesia, sleeping pills put you at a greater risk of accidents from erratic behavior, says Cline.The Sleep Foundation notes that the most common parasomnias — unusual behaviors people experience when they’re asleep — include sleepwalking, sleep talking, sleep eating, and sleep driving.
They’re more common as you increase your dosage, so it’s important to take the medication exactly as prescribed.Look at the type of sleeping pill you’ve been prescribed: Z-class drugs, such as Zaleplon or Zolpidem, come with side effects like next-day sedation, dizziness, light-headedness, and memory issues, while orexin antagonists like Suvorexant can cause side effects like abnormal dreams or excessive daytime sleepiness, Devnani says.
In some cases, when you wake up you won’t even recall your bout of erratic behavior. That’s because sleeping pills depress the brain, limiting your thinking and memory.
“It’s like getting anesthesia and you’ve come out of surgery. You’re just not aware of discomfort or waking up during the night,” Cline says.
6. You May Be Prone to Falling DownOlder adults who use sleeping pills every night are at a much higher risk of falling and facing injuries like broken hips or bumps and bruises, according to a study published in the Journal of Contemporary Pharmacy Practice in 2020.
This is a major concern for elderly people to be wary of, but young people are at risk of falls in the middle of the night or the early morning, too, Devnani warns.Everyone is really drowsy in the middle of the night, and this is heightened with sleeping pills. “If you’re getting up to go to the bathroom, you could trip, fall, and hurt yourself…CONTINUE READING>>
