Although drugs are usually used to relieve pain, there are many drugs that also provide relaxation. Those who have sleep problems resort to sleeping pills to combat insomnia. Although sleeping pills facilitate the transition to sleep, they can create major health problems. According to studies, people who use sleeping pills have a 55 percent higher risk of premature death than those who sleep naturally.
RISK OF DEATH MORE THAN TWICE
Yu Sun, from National Taiwan University, said: “Our results are surprising to say the least. Many people rely on sleeping pills to help them sleep, so it’s shocking to find that taking them can more than double their risk of death.” We recommend avoiding the pill and trying other methods first.”
In the studies, the life expectancy of people who used sleeping pills was 5.3 years shorter in men and 5.7 years in women. According to the NHS, sleeping pills are now rarely prescribed by GPs as they can have serious side effects and lead to addiction. If you have severe insomnia and other treatments haven’t worked, they’ll only go away for a few days or a week at the most.
The latest study, published in the Elsevier journal Sleep Health, looked at how dangerous they can be in terms of how long you live. Researchers tracked risk of death and life expectancy in 484,916 adults in Taiwan from 1994 to 2011. They were divided into four groups: those who slept four hours or less, those who slept four to six hours, those who slept six to eight hours, those who slept eight hours or more. Participants were also asked whether they used prescription sleeping pills to sleep and how regularly they took them.
Under four hours, there was little difference in the risk of death between those who took the pills and those who did not. But those who took the drugs were 32 percent more likely to die prematurely in the four to six hour group.
Independent experts have questioned whether the increased risk during the three sleep periods is directly due to the pills. Professor Kevin McConway of Open University said: “Researchers have found that people who take sleeping pills have a higher risk of premature death.
