Sleeping pills
Sleeping pills are prescription medications containing tranquilizers to treat insomnia, restless sleep, or difficulty falling asleep. Many different sleeping pill types are available today, each with a unique chemical structure and pharmacological effect. Short-term use of sleeping pills to help sleep is acceptable, but they should not be used continuously over an extended time to avoid side effects from long-term use that may adversely affect health in the long run. By falling asleep naturally rather than using sleeping pills, you will regain your health, be alert, and be ready to face the challenges of a new day.
What is a sleeping pill?
A sleeping pill is a medication that can help you fall asleep and relieve stress and anxiety. Sleeping pills enable people with sleep disorders, insomnia, or those waking up in the middle of the night and unable to go back to sleep soundly. Therefore, they resort to sleeping pills to help them sleep better.
What are the types of prescription sleeping pills?
There are numerous varieties of sleeping pills, including the following:
- Benzodiazepines (BZD) are a powerful class of sleeping pills that help you fall asleep, relieve anxiety, and improve your learning and memory. These drugs raise levels of brain GABA neurotransmitters causing sleepiness, allowing people to sleep better, relax muscles, relieve anxiety, and can also treat epilepsy. This class of medications includes alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam, and lorazepam, available in short- and long-acting forms. The doctor will consider the severity of the symptoms, comorbidities, age, and congenital disease when prescribing sleep medication, which may cause dizziness, fatigue, irritability, and long-term side effects such as depression, particularly in patients with liver and kidney disease.
- Non-benzodiazepine (Non-BZD) or Z-drugs are fast-acting sleeping pills that take effect 30 minutes after intake and last up to 8 hours. They induce sleepiness, calm anxiety, and promote sound sleep without leaving you feeling groggy, or lightheaded in the morning. Non-BZD drugs are most frequently prescribed drug class by physicians due to their minimal side effects, low potential for drug tolerance, and addiction. This class of medications includes Zolpidem, Ambien, and Zopiclone.
- Melatonin is a synthetic drug that mimics the same hormone in the brain. The pineal gland secretes melatonin to help stimulate sleep onset and is responsible for the sleep cycle. It will be secreted at night or in low-light conditions to aid the body's relaxation and help people fall asleep. Because melatonin's secretion decreases with age, doctors frequently prefer to prescribe this class of medications to those who have trouble falling asleep, those who work late or in shifts, and seniors struggling with insomnia.
- Antidepressants are a group of drugs that can treat depression, stress, and anxiety. Physicians use antidepressants to treat in addition to depression -- migraines, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). These medications work on the neurotransmitters in the central nervous system to induce sleep, reduce anxiety, and promote relaxation. The dosage typically ranges from 10 to 25 or 50 milligrams, available in various forms, including tablets and liquids. Potential side effects include constipation, difficulty urinating, a dry mouth or throat, decreased sexual drive, and possible weight gain. Physicians do not prescribe these drugs to children or adolescents due to the risk of severe side effects.
What are the side effects of sleeping pills?
The adverse effects of sleeping pills start becoming apparent when their users develop dependency and cannot fall asleep without them. Abrupt discontinuation or going "cold turkey" may cause withdrawal symptoms and worsen insomnia (rebound insomnia). Using sleeping pills can have both short-term and long-term adverse effects, as follows:
Short-term adverse effects include:
- Tiredness and sleepiness
- Headache
- Squeamish
- Confused
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Dry mouth
- Muscle weakness
- Slow decision-making, slow brain processing
- Indigestion, gas in the stomach, colic, or distension
Long-term adverse effects include:
The long-term use of sleeping pills affects brain function, changes the structure of sleep, and leads to sleeping pill dependency, drug tolerance, and other side effects, including:
- Risk of dementia, particularly among the elderly
- Poor memory, brain degeneration, Alzheimer's disease.
- May lead to depression.
- Sexual dysfunction
- Risk of accidental falls.
- Respiratory depression during sleep, which may lead to death.
How do I stop taking sleeping pills?
Those who want to stop taking sleeping pills should be ready to deal with any ensuing side effects. In addition to making the following behavioral changes, gradually reduce the dosage of sleeping pills to allow the body to adapt and not experience suffering:
- Sleep hygiene instruction: You can create healthy sleep habits by getting up and going to bed at about identical times daily. It helps to enhance sleep quality and prevent the worsening of insomnia.
- Stimulus control: keeping the bedroom clean and free of distractions. Turn off the room light and your mobile phone to prevent the noise or blue light from disturbing your sleep. Keep the room temperature low to help you sleep well.
- Sleep restriction: limiting the amount of sleep. Sleep compression: curtailing sleep duration to treat insomnia by restoring the desire to sleep (sleep drive).
- Relaxation training includes meditation, breathing exercises, and muscle relaxation to help the body and mind relieve anxiety.
- Lifestyle modifications include regular exercise to induce fatigue and the desire to sleep; reducing caffeine and sugar intake, particularly in the afternoon; avoiding eating just before bedtime; and drinking enough water daily.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) involves talking with a psychotherapist or medical professional who has experience dealing with negative emotional states and thought processes, learning and adapting positive thinking techniques, and putting effective solutions into practice in real life to create positive feelings about themselves, be confident in their potential, and realize they have values.
Creating good sleep habits can promote healthy sleep.
Sleep is fundamental and essential to good health. The brain and body will use this time for rejuvenation and positive effects on your mood the following day. However, many people have trouble sleeping and resort to sleeping pills to treat their insomnia. However, are these sleeping pills genuinely safe? Many long-term users of sleeping pills become dependent and cannot sleep without them.
Sleeping pill users may not realize they are dependent on the pills until they abruptly quit the drugs, causing side effects that impact their daily lives from the sudden stop. The best way to treat insomnia is to create good sleep hygiene habits, learn to fall asleep naturally, gradually taper off sleeping pills, and go through a systematic treatment plan with a specialist. These will allow you to sleep better, regain your physical and mental health, and live a quality life once more.
Sleep pill users may not realize they have an addiction to sleeping aids until they try to quit, causing side effects from abruptly discontinuing drugs as a result of attempting to discontinue sleeping pills until it has an impact on daily life. The best way to treat insomnia is to learn how to fall asleep naturally, gradually stop taking sleeping pills, and go through a systematic treatment plan with a specialist systematically and methodically. This will allow you to regain your physical and mental health and live a quality life once again.
Wondering if you're at risk for sleep apnea?
Dive into our test and find out!
