Understanding Sleeping Pills
Many people tend to turn to a sleeping pill when they are unable to sleep at night and of course, these pills can help you sleep at the moment. However, if you regularly suffer from sleep issues, you need to understand that something is not right. It can be something simple like having too much coffee, watching TV, your smartphone, or other screens at night. Or, it can be a cue of some psychological issue or some basic medical problem. Whatever be the reason for your long-term sleep issue, it will not be cured by having sleeping pills.
Sleeping pills, especially prescription sleep medications, can be addictive and may even worsen your sleep problem in the long run. However, this does not essentially mean that you should keep away from drugs to end the issues you face with sleeping. You need to consider the potential benefits against the risks before using sleep medications.
Side Effects Of Sleeping Pills Usage
All prescription medications have side effects and these effects can vary with the specific medication, the dosage, and the time for which the medication lasts in your body. Some of the most common side effects of sleeping pills are headache, constipation, prolonged drowsiness the next day, body pain, dizziness, trouble concentrating, balance problems, dry mouth, and rebound insomnia.
Risks Of Sleeping Pills Usage
There are many risks of using sleeping pills in the long term. Some of these are discussed below.
Drug Tolerance
When using sleeping pills for the long term, you can build up a tolerance to these medications and will have to take more and more pills for them to work and this can further increase the risk of side effects.
Withdrawal Symptoms
When you abruptly stop taking sleep medications, you can experience withdrawal symptoms like shaking, nausea, and sweating.
Drug Dependence
When using sleep medications for the long term, your body will start to rely on these medications to sleep, making it unable for you to sleep without these medications. Particularly, prescription sleep medications can be very addictive, and it can be very difficult for a person to stop these medications.
Interactions With Other Medications
Sleeping pills can interact with other medicines that you are having. These interactions can be dangerous when sleeping pills are taken with sedatives and prescription painkillers.
Rebound Insomnia
When you try to stop taking sleep medications, your insomnia can return, and sometimes it can be even worse than before.