Assignment: you are invited to be a speaker at a meeting of the local Women’s Organisation. The group consists mainly of middle-aged to elderly ladies. 

Topic: “Is it dangerous to use sedatives and sleeping drugs?” 

Reports of statistical research carried out by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) showed results indicating that 4% of American adult citizens use prescription sleeping aids, where the majority of these cases were women between the ages of 50 to 80 years old. 

Additionally, new data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provided information indicating that the amount of ER visits regarding overdosing of Zolpidem – an active in some prescription sedatives/hypnotics – nearly doubled between the year of 2005 & 2010, increasing from a number of 21 824 ER cases to 42 274, where 2/3 of those cases were all females. 

What are sleeping drugs? 

According to (Jennifer Casarella, MD); most sleeping pills can be classified as sedative-hypnotic drugs and these drugs’ specific action is to induce and/or maintain sleep. There are different classes of sedative-hypnotics such as benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepines and barbituates – all with different pharmacological mechanisms of action, but at the end of the day – produce the same desired clinical outcome. 

Why use sleeping pills? 

Physicians often prescribe sleeping pills in order to treat multiple sleep disorders and to generally improve the patient’s quality of sleep. Insomnia is the most popular sleep disorder for which sleeping pills are prescribed. In insomniac patients: the benzodiazepine class of sedative-hypnotics – decreases the time it takes to fall asleep, and/or prolongs the patients total duration of sleep (in the case that the patient sleeps 6 hours or less, sleeping pills do not prolong the normal 8 hours of sleep to for example 10 hours). 

Even though sleeping pills are an effective method of insomnia relief, they are only meant to be used acutely and are not the answer to sleeping problems in the long run! 

“Long-term use of medications for sleep is not associated with reductions in sleep problems,” says Dr Daniel Soloman, a professor of medicine in rheumatology and pharmacoepidemiology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. 

What are the potential side effects and risks associated with taking sleeping pills? 

Approximately 80% of sleeping pill users experience the “hangover effect” the following day subsequent to taking sleep medication. This is a phenomenon that causes people to feel drowsy, fuzzy thoughts / muddled thinking, dizziness and balance problems. This effect can seriously impact people’s daily lives since it can impair your ability to drive, go to work and complete other tasks throughout the day. Additionally, as a woman it is not safe to go out and not be in full control of your thoughts and body’s functioning – for various reasons, it is crucial that we women be in full control of our minds and bodies and be able to defend ourselves or escape a potentially dangerous situation. 

Other side effects of taking sleep medication include: 

• GIT problems like constipation / diarrhoea, gas, nausea and heartburn

• Dry mouth

• Headaches

• Muscular weakness

• Changes in appetite

• Daytime drowsiness and possible mental impairment during the day

• Tremors

• Disturbed dreams 

The potential risks and complications of taking sleeping pills: 

The most prominent risk of using sleeping drugs is dependence. When people begin to use sleeping pills for longer than their intended use they increase their risk for developing tolerance. Once tolerance is developed, higher dosages will be required to induce the same effects. Too often people who develop tolerance then start to abuse sleeping drugs and risk addiction. 

Addiction to sleep medication increases the intensity and/or frequency of the normal side effects of the drugs, and can precipitate even worse consequences. This is why it is crucial to stop taking the sleep medication once your prescription expires/ends. 

Other risks of using sleeping drugs are allergic reactions and developing sleep disorders such as parasomnias – which are possibly dangerous behaviours whilst still sleeping, for example sleepwalking. 

Conclusion: 

To conclude by answering the topic question: yes, the use of sleeping drugs / sedatives does entail potential dangers and risks – as is with any drug. When the sleeping medication is used for longer than it is intended is when it starts to become dangerous. If you struggle with insomnia it is always best to consult with your physician, since often simple nondrug therapies are enough to improve sleep.