Subscribe Feed (RSS)We Know That Sleep Drugs Are Risky So Why Do We Keep Using Them?
March 18th, 2005 by admin | Filed under Uncategorized.America has a love affair with drugs including sleep drugs. Those who use them or at least contemplate using them are aware that they have risks including serious side effects and dependency, so why are we chasing them so frantically? Prescriptions are given out by the millions each year and the numbers are rising. Are we setting ourselves up for a major medical problem in the future? Probably.
Sleep inducing drugs are nothing new. Doctors have used various medicines for much of history to help people go to sleep. However, in more recent decades the drugs have become more powerful and with that power has come riskier effects.
Sleep drugs come in a variety of types which we won’t go into detail here…I’ve done that in another article which you can read. Even with all that variety there are some common issues with these types of drugs.
The mild common side effects are usually headache, nausea, vomiting, vision problems, joint pain, muscle weakness, etc. These would be enough for me to think before using, but when someone gets sleep deprived for long enough they start getting desperate. Unfortunately, these are not the worst problems that can happen when you use sleep inducing drugs.
The more problematic side effects can be amnesia or periodic black outs, hallucinations, reduced or absent inhibitions, uncontrolled anger or depression, suicidal thoughts or actions, mood/behavior changes….the list goes on. If you think that these are rare symptoms then you might be in for a shock. On a web site devoted to patient feedback on various drugs the feedback for several of the sleep drugs reported these severe side effects time and again…by the hundreds. They also noted that the quality of sleep varied greatly and that they either had become dependent on them or had rebound insomnia if they stopped using them.
Now that should cause you to pause before considering sleep drugs to deal with your insomnia. There have been many cases of serious problems taking these drugs and the cases are definitely not few in number. So what should you do as we all know that sleep is important and people suffering from insomnia need relief?
Well, if sleep drugs are not the answer then we need to look elsewhere. Current research on sleep and insomnia is finding that while drugs may help in the short term to help someone get immediate sleep, long term results require more extensive treatment.
Often the root causes of insomnia, (which drugs do not address), tend to be things that require lifestyle changes or therapy to treat. The main causes of insomnia are stress, depression, anxiety, poor diet, lack of exercise and bad sleep habits. Scientists have found that changes or therapy that address these issues produces longer lasting results and a better quality sleep than drugs can provide.
Another take on the issue of sleeplessness is to use activities and hobbies that relax you and put you in a better frame of mind to fall asleep easier. This can be helpful for some, but may not be enough for people suffering from more persistent forms of insomnia. It may be necessary if you have a stronger case of insomnia or you can’t immediately remove the things in your life that cause stress, etc. that you look to natural remedies. These can work with the body to help produce sleep naturally rather than through drugs. Supplements that help produce sleep can often be easier on the body and usually come with less side effects. Always make sure you talk it over with a medical professional before taking to ensure they don’t conflict with any other medications you might be on.
The point is that there are plenty of safer and in many cases more lasting ways to get sleep rather than relying on
Tags: anxiety, diet, sleep
