When Sleep Aids Kill
If you (or a loved one) take prescription sleeping pills to combat insomnia, you may putting yourself in danger of cancer or even death, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal family of publications. The side effects of sleeping pills has a discover with adding death as an effect.
The study, conducted at the Jackson Hole Center for Preventive Medicine in Wyoming and the Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center in California, suggests that patients who take sleeping pills were 4.6 times more likely to die within 2.5 years than those not taking the drugs.
For the study, researchers scrutinized data on more than 33,000 patients, about a third of whom were taking drugs for insomnia (such as temazepam, zopiclone, zolpidem, or zaleplon).
Investigators found—after adjusting for other risk factors—that within about 2 years after beginning sleeping pill drug regimens, one in 16 patients died from the side effects of sleeping pills, while only one in 80 patients not taking these drugs died.
The BBC reported the details:
This increased risk was irrespective of other underlying health conditions, such as heart and lung diseases, and other factors like smoking and alcohol use, which the researchers say they did their best to rule out.
The researchers say it is not yet clear why people taking sleeping tablets may be at greater risk.
The drugs are sedating and this may make users more prone to falls and other accidents. The tablets can also alter a person’s breathing pattern as they sleep and they have been linked to increased suicide risk.
In this latest study, those taking the highest doses of sleeping tablets also appeared to be at greater risk of developing cancer another side effects of sleeping pills.
The Dangers Outweigh the “Meager” Benefits
According to the researchers, “The meager benefits of hypnotics [sleeping pills], as critically reviewed by groups without financial interest, would not justify substantial risks.”
The researchers also point out that “…in 2010, hypnotics (sleeping pills) may have been associated with 320,000 to 507,000 excess deaths in the USA alone.”
They say even short-term use may not be justifiable for the side effects of sleeping pills. 
Natural Alternatives For A Good Night’s Sleep
Many safe, natural alternative treatments are available for helping with sleeplessness. For example, in 2006 the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study showing that simple cognitive behavior therapy worked better than prescription drugs for improving sleep.
People also find relief with dietary remedies, including valerian root, peppermint, chamomile, passionflower, and lavender. There’s also a powerful herbal sleep aid that combines Jamaican dogwood, Chinese jujube fruit, and melatonin delivered through a liquid spray which may very well be the most revolutionary and safe sleep aid ever developed. Go to http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5574691-10878554?sid=WebFA-NR.
