{"id":10663,"date":"2020-07-08T19:23:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T23:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=10663"},"modified":"2020-07-17T14:59:34","modified_gmt":"2020-07-17T18:59:34","slug":"are-sleeping-pills-bad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/are-sleeping-pills-bad\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Sleeping Pills Bad for You? Basically, Yes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are sleeping pills bad for you? What are alternatives to sleeping pills?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts agree that as a long-term solution, sleeping pills are bad for you. Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that frustrates many people each year, causing them to seek solutions. But why are sleeping pills bad? Read more to find out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Are Sleeping Pills Bad? Do They Help Insomnia?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Given the complex physiology of insomnia, it\u2019s unlikely blunt instruments like sleeping pills will fix the root cause. Yet, many people turn to sleeping pills. So are sleeping pills bad for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Insomnia<\/strong>?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Insomnia is defined as making enough time for sleeping, but having insufficient sleep quantity or quality, for more than 3 months. Symptoms include difficulty falling asleep, waking up in the middle of night, and feeling unrefreshed in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they do sleep, insomniacs have more fragmented REM sleep and shallower brainwaves in NREM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 out of 9 people suffers from insomnia. It\u2019s twice as common in women than men, and more common in blacks\/Hispanics than whites, for unknown reasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common triggers of insomnia are emotional concerns or distress. The biological cause is linked to an overactive sympathetic nervous system, which raises body temperature and levels of cortisol\/epinephrine. In turn, the thalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala all remain more active than in normal sleeping patients<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such a complex condition may cause some people to use sleeping pills. But are sleeping pills bad for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleeping Pills Are Bad<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sleeping pills are typically sedatives that put the body into a state that doesn\u2019t fully resemble sleep (similar to alcohol). The sleep looks different electrophysiologically — the deepest brainwaves are lacking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They don\u2019t even really work. Sleeping pills are no better than placebo at time to fall asleep (even though self-reported satisfaction is higher). The lower quality of sleep<\/a> causes daytime sleepiness. So are sleeping pills bad for you? Let’s find out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sleeping pills can kick off a heavily medicated vicious cycle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n