The sky is pitch black, it’s the middle of the night, and your eyes are wide open thinking about your kids, life, or the bills you need to pay. When sleep just doesn’t want to befriend you, the convenient way out is to pop a sleeping pill to help you sleep.
I understand it can be really frustrating when you are unable to get restful sleep. But hey! Before you get in the moment and grab a pack of sleeping pills, it is very important to have an understanding of sleeping pills’ side effects.
Now, this doesn’t mean that taking medication to help you sleep is wrong but it is, however, essential to weigh the benefits against the side effects of sleeping pills before you start taking them.
It has been observed that doctors usually recommend sleeping pills to be used for a temporary period of time. Sleeping pills work best when used for short-term situations like traveling across different time zones or just for the sake of recovery from a serious disease. Otherwise, unwanted use of sleeping pills can cause dependence and other adverse effects on the body.
To be precise, sleeping pills are your temporary band-aids!
Table of Contents
Understanding Sleeping Pills
Sleeping pills commonly known as نیند کی گولیاں are categorized as ‘sedative-hypnotics.’ These pills are taken to induce sleep. Barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and other sedatives are the most common ones used by people to induce sleep or treat insomnia. While these drugs help in sleeping, the long-term use sooner or later shows the sleeping pills side effects.
A 2012 study claimed that the use of sleeping aids can increase the risk of early deaths even when the prescribed pills are less than 18 per year.
Adverse Effects of Sleeping Pills
Health conditions like nausea, vomiting, headaches, and lightheadedness can occur due to sleeping pills abuse, along with that a number of possible problems can arise in daily life activities after you start depending on sleeping pills. Read up on these possible sleeping pills side effects to save yourself.
Quick Tolerance Build Up
When you start taking sleep medication, your body starts to build up tolerance against it and grows accustomed to sleeping pills. Now, for the pills to show their effect, you will have to increase the dose in order to kick in the exact sleep-inducing effect.
The consumption of higher doses of sleeping pills can be very dangerous as this can cause Respiratory Depression which is poor coordination of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs causing breathing to be shallower than normal.
Unstable Behaviors
From late-night ice cream runs to your neighbor’s freezer, to having hallucinations about your bed rippling, some of the wacky and notorious sleeping pills’ side effects are the changes in behavior observed. These unusual behaviors can be in the form of sleepwalking, sleep cooking, or even memory problems.
Along with that, the weirdest of dreams can start becoming your sleep partner. Some people say that they see Hedwig flying over their head, while others see Spiderman chilling with them at the dinner table. So the use of sleeping pills can also cause extremely exaggerated dreams that have no meaning.
Impairment in Daily Activities
One of the side effects of sleeping pills is extreme drowsiness throughout the day which causes hindrance in daily life activities. The pills when they don’t leave the body fully and are present in the body can dull the system and impair activities like driving, focusing on work, and losing control while walking.
A sleeping pill taken for a good night’s sleep can pretty much ruin daytime activities. Your brain seems to be sleeping throughout the day and the waves of sleep can even make you take a nap on the bed of thorns.
Cancer – A Serious Sleeping Pill Side Effect
One of the major sleeping pills side effects that have been observed through several pieces of research is that people who consume sleeping pills are more likely to suffer from different forms of cancer than those who don’t. And people taking prescribed sleeping pills were 35% more likely to suffer from a new cancer after 2.5 years of use.
The Abuse is Hard to Stop
Once you start to take sleeping pills to aid sleep, it gets very hard to stop the intake. You become completely dependent on them if you use them for a more extended period of time.
When you wean off, there are higher chances of suffering from rebound insomnia, which is the reemergence of the symptoms of lack of sleep that were long gone with sleeping pills. It is not a suitable option to go cold turkey at once, although the best practice is to lower the dose gradually to get rid of the addiction to sleeping pills.
Natural Sleeping Aids; The Right Way to go!
The right way to induce sleep and to stay away from sleeping pills’ side effects, it is important that you go for natural ways. These can help you sleep better in various ways.
Melatonin Supplements: The lack of sleep occurs in the body mostly due to a lack of hormone in the body called melatonin. If you are unable to sleep due to melatonin deficiency then consult with your doctor and take melatonin supplements that are a great natural alternative as compared to sleeping pills.
Physical Activity at right time: Exercise or any other physical activity done at right time can help a lot as these activities when performed release endorphins in the body that keep you energized. So, make sure to make exercise specifically cardio a part of your routine and perform it at the right time.
Making a schedule: A proper sleep and wake-up schedule when followed properly can help a lot in sleeping at night. Make sure that you get in bed at the same time every day and wake up every day at the same time too.
Sleeping Pills Side Effects; Your Worst Enemy
The use of sleeping pills to aid sleep is a very wrong practice if used for an extended period of time. It is important to know your causes and avoid the use in order to avoid sleeping pills’ side effects. Just like smoking, it becomes an addiction in no time.
If you have any queries about sleeping pills and their side effects, then make sure you book an appointment with top psychiatrists by visiting heathwire.pk, or dial (042) 32500989.
FAQs
- Is it harmful to take sleeping pills every night?
Sleeping pills’ side effects can increase when they are consumed in the long term. So, it is not okay to use sleeping pills every day.
- What are the side effects of taking sleeping pills daily?
Long-term use of sleeping pills can cause hallucinations, daytime drowsiness, and even sleep walking.
- What happens if you take 8 sleeping pills?
You are at a higher risk of dying if you take 8 sleeping pills. Make sure to talk to your doctor before taking sleeping pills.
- Are sleeping pills used for the short-term helpful?
Yes, sleeping pills used for the short term are affected as long as you stop taking them.
