The number of people with dementia is increasing every year. There are many risk factors in dementia, which affects brain functions and causes dementia. These factors include the use of various drugs. A new study shows that regularly taking a popular drug can increase your risk of dementia by 79 percent.
SLEEPING MEDICINES RISE RISK OF DESERVEMENT
Research reports that there has been an increase in people who have trouble sleeping since the Covid pandemic. While sleeping pills may be a quick fix to this annoying problem, a new study asks you to think twice before taking them. Research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that people had a 79 percent higher risk of dementia when using sleeping pills.
PARTICIPANTS WATCHED FOR 9 YEARS
The research team explained that the type and amount of the drug may be factors that explain this higher risk. They came to these findings by looking at nearly 3,000 older adults without dementia living outside of nursing homes. This cohort enrolled in the Health, Aging and Body Composition study and was followed for an average of nine years. About 42 percent of these respondents were black and 58 percent were white.
During the study period, 20 percent of patients continued to develop dementia. The findings showed that white participants who took sleeping pills “frequently” or “almost always” had a 79 percent higher chance of developing dementia compared to those who “never” or “rarely” used them. Among black participants who had much lower consumption of sleeping pills, frequent use was also linked to a higher risk.
SOME SLEEPING MEDICINES HAVE MORE RISK
First author Yue Leng explains, “The differences can be attributed to socio-economic status.” Black participants with access to sleeping pills may be a select group with higher socio-economic status and therefore greater cognitive reserve, making them less susceptible to dementia. It’s also possible that some sleeping pills are associated with a higher risk of dementia than others.”
YOU NEED TO THINK AGAIN BEFORE DRINKING THE MEDICINE
The research found that white people were three times more likely to take sleeping pills compared to black people. The research team now hopes that further studies can help provide clarity about the cognitive risks or rewards of sleep medications and the role that race may play. But, according to Leng, patients with sleep disorders should hesitate before considering medications.
CONSCIOUS USE OF MEDICATIONS IS IMPORTANT
The researcher added: “The first step is to identify what types of sleep problems patients are dealing with. If insomnia is diagnosed, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the first-line treatment for insomnia. If medication is to be used, melatonin may be a safer option, but to understand its long-term effect on health We need more evidence.”