Try to avoid sleeping pills

Sleeping tablets are considered a 'last resort' if you have poor sleep (insomnia). They are sometimes prescribed for a short period to get over a particularly bad spell of insomnia. Many people who have little tension, fatigue, depression, insomnia and psychiatric problems without the advice of a specialised doctor, take different types of drugs as sleeping pill.
Between a third and half of all Americans have insomnia and complain of poor sleep. If so, like Americans, you may consider taking sleeping pills. A sleeping pill may be effective at ending your sleep problems short-term. But it is important to make sure you understand everything you need to know about sleeping pills. That includes knowing about the side effects.
Most sleeping pills are sedative hypnotics. That is a specific class of drugs used to induce and maintain sleep. Sedative hypnotics include benzodiazepines, barbiturates and various hypnotics. Benzodiazepines increase drowsiness and help people sleep. While these drugs may be useful short-term, all benzodiazepines are potentially addictive. Barbiturates, another drug in this sedative-hypnotic class, depress the central nervous system and can cause sedation. Short- or long-acting barbiturates are prescribed as sedatives or sleeping pills. But more commonly these hypnotic drugs are limited to use as anaesthesia.
Newer medication helps reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. These sleep-inducing drugs work quickly to increase drowsiness and sleep. Sleeping pills have side effects like most medications. You will not know, though, whether you will experience side effects with a particular sleeping pill until you try it. Your doctor may be able to alert you to the possibility of side effects if you have asthma or other health conditions.
Sleeping pills make you breathe more slowly and less deeply. That can be dangerous for people with uncontrolled lung problems such as asthma or COPD. Common side effects of prescription sleeping pills may include: burning or tingling in the hands, changes in appetite, constipation, diarrhoea, difficulty keeping balance, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth or throat, gas, headache, heartburn, stomach pain or tenderness, uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body, unusual dreams, weakness etc.
For short-term insomnia, your doctor may prescribe sleeping pills for several weeks. Yet after regular use for a longer period, your sleeping pill may stop working as you build a tolerance to the medication. You may also become psychologically dependent on the medicine. Then the idea of going to sleep without it will make you anxious. Without the sleeping pill, you might find it difficult to sleep. If that happens it could be a sign of a physical or emotional dependence or both. Some studies show that long-term use of sleeping pills actually interferes with sleep.
The best way to avoid developing a physical or emotional dependence on sleeping pills is to follow your doctor's instructions and stop taking the drug when recommended. It is important to be aware of possible sleeping pill side effects so you can stop the drug and call your doctor immediately to avoid a more serious health problem.

The write up is compiled by Muhammad Arifur Rahman, Assistant Professor of Department of Pharmacy, Daffodil International University.