Print this pageAuthor: J Wall
If you're like me you've noticed that there are an awful lot of ads on TV promoting sleeping pills. They all seem to keep stressing how good they are at helping you sleep and how they aren't as dangerous or addictive as they're older cousins. Well, that may be partially true but you should still be careful...here's why.
While it is true that the more current round of sleeping pills have improved over the older versions there are still many of the same side effects to be concerned about. These newer pills still can produce next morning drowsiness, cognitive impairment, increased depression and a host of other ill effects. Newer sleep pills like Ambien, Sonata, and Lunesta are still guilty of these side effects even though they may not happen as frequently as the older versions of sleep inducing medications. However, is it worth the risk?
Additionally, manufacturers of these sleeping pills say they are not a risk for being habit forming, but in reality the jury is still out on that one. The research behind these medicines is still in process. There is not enough long term data yet to really make a determination. The flip side of this problem is that while the specific substances in the drugs may not chemically cause an addiction, the action of relying on them to get you to sleep may generate a form of habit.
Sleeplessness is often caused by issues that can't directly be addressed with sleep pills. Depression, stress, anxiety are all heavy contributors when it comes to root causes for not getting to sleep. Drugs will override that in the short term, but the root cause re-establishes itself when you try to stop...so people start back up again. Without addressing the reason why you're not getting to sleep it is difficult at best not to become dependent on something external, like sleeping pills, to help you get to sleep.
In some ways, sleep pills work against your body. They force it to go to sleep rather than working to generate sleep through ways that work with your body's natural process of producing sleep. Many medical professionals are finding that it is more beneficial in the long term to use therapy, diet, exercise and perhaps natural supplements that work with the body to produce consistent, quality sleep. They are using sleeping pills more as a last resort or as a short term solution to get a patient rest while they work on the long term solutions mentioned above.
It is important to talk about these things with a knowledgeable medical professional if you are suffering from sleeplessness. Don't just accept sleeping pills as a first answer, but really ask about how useful they are as a long term solution to your sleep problems. Any honest doctor will tell you that you shouldn't rely on them for more than a few days to a week or so and that sleep issues that extend beyond that require different, more lasting measures.
J. Wall has an avid interest in natural remedies for the treatment of Sleeplessness. He is a regular contributor to the Sleep Medications section of http://www.sleep-help-center.com, a site dedicated to improving sleep for everyone.
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