Recent studies indicate that 1/3 of the American population suffers from sleep related issues. The instances of temporary and chronic insomnia are also very high in the U.K., most of Europe and Japan. Our society is experiencing an epidemic of sleep deprivation. The research regarding the problem lacks funding. Much is still not known about how the brain works and exactly what happens when we move from a wakeful state to restful sleep. Our days are spent with demanding work schedules and caffeine crutches to get us through. The energy drink business is now a multi-billion, yes billion, dollar business and is doubling year after year.
Where does this leave us? Many sleep deprived folks are turning to prescription sleep aids. Is this a good decision? What are the side effects of plunging into the world of sleeping pills?
The current trend by physicians is to prescribe a nonbenzodiazepine. Direct-to-consumer advertising of drugs, approved in 1997, is pushing patients to request medications. There are several brand names on the market and I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials and flipped through a magazine with multiple ads touting the benefits of these drugs to answer the need for a “satisfying 7-8 hours” of sleep.
Read the Fine Print
Before you decide to take the magic “pill”, you may want to read the fine print on the ad. Just pick up a copy of some general magazine. I found a copy of Reader’s Digest that was full of multiple advertisements featuring the lunar moth and all his friends. There are all sorts of laws that a pharmaceutical company must follow when advertising their product. You should read the details of the ad with a critical eye and not get swayed by the pretty pictures of sleeping people. The ads usually have that enticing photo on page one, then there are at least 1 or 2 pages of fine print following the ad. Don’t skip this part. This is where the real entertainment can be found!
Are You Eating in Your Sleep?
Here’s some text directly from the first page of one ad (it must be vitally important if it’s on the first page; remember the lawyers guide most of the requirements). The warning reads: “Call your doctor right away if after taking (Brand Name) you walk, drive, eat or engage in other activities while asleep.” Are you kidding me? There’s no way they would have to put this in the ad unless it has happened with multiple patients. What if this was you? Check out the internet by searching for any of these strange behaviors regarding sleep aids. You’ll be shocked at what comes up. Other side effects that have been reported are amnesia (not just forgetting something, but real amnesia), impaired motor skills, paranoia, aggressive behavior, confusion, strange behavior (what does that mean?), agitation, hallucinations, worsening of depression, and suicidal thoughts. I wouldn’t want to experience one of these, much less a few of them at the same time!
Don’t Start Taking Sleep Aids or You Might not be Able to Stop.
What about addiction? That’s the big fear that most people have about the drug route. You should be scared. The “nonbenzo” drugs came about because of the highly addictive nature of the “benzo” group that preceded it. When you talk about prescription medications with an addictive factor, you must be aware of the withdrawal associated with them. Any narcotic will come with the lovely withdrawal symptoms that occur when you try and stop taking them. The “half-life” of a drug is how long the drug stays in your system after taking it. The longer the half-life, the less severe the withdrawal. The new drugs have a half-life of 2-4 hours. What does this mean? First, they don’t even stay in your system the entire night. You may have to get up and take another pill to keep sleeping!? And, with a half-life so short the withdrawals start before you get up!
What do the drug companies say about the withdrawal in the fine print of their own ads? Here you go: “Dependence is the need to continue taking a medicine because stopping it is unpleasant. All people taking sleep medicines have some risk of becoming dependent on the medicine. Withdrawal symptoms may occur when sleep medicines are stopped suddenly after being used daily for a long time. In some cases, these symptoms can occur even if the medicine has been used for only a week or two. In mild cases, withdrawal symptoms may include unpleasant feelings. In more severe cases, abdominal and muscle cramps, vomiting, sweating, shakiness, and rarely, seizures may occur. Another problem that may occur when sleep medicines are stopped is known as ‘rebound insomnia.’ This means that a person may have more trouble sleeping the first few nights after the medicine is stopped than before starting the medicine.”
Make Up Your Own Mind
So, consider yourself warned. Please evaluate all of the side effects of going down the prescription sleep aid route and know that even if you start taking them, there’s no guarantee that stopping will be easy. You may even end up worse than you were when you started.
We designed the Sleep 8 System specifically to help you develop the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep without the dependence on sleep medications.
Please listen to our podcast on the causes of sleep issues and insomnia for more tips. We promise not to put you to sleep… right away, that is!