When one is too stressed or can't sleep, one of the most common solutions one turns to is sleeping pills, which promise the seduction of restful sleep. However, sleeping pills do not really deliver what they promise.

How sleeping pills work

Sleeping pills require a doctor's prescription (at least in my country, that's the case, so you can see how careful one must be when using sleeping pills). Sleeping pills suppress the potential activity of brain cells, sedating both the central nervous system and the brain, leading to a decreased heart and breathing rate. Drowsiness is induced and the user eventually falls asleep. However, it affects the user's thinking, feeling and physical movements. The user may also experience a slower reaction time and his memory and performance can be impaired. When consumed in large amounts or mixed with alcohol (think Heath Ledger), the results can be fatal.

Why are sleeping pills addictive?

The human body usually develops a tolerance that leads to a need to increase the dosage amount. This problem is often associated with long-term users of sleeping pills. Sleeping pills can cause serious withdrawal symptoms such as shakiness, panic attacks, nervousness and anxiety when stopped abruptly.

Problems with sleeping pills

Most of the sleeping pills have residual effect, with at least half the efficacy remaining in the blood during the day. Only a few brands of sleeping pills leave the blood fast enough to be almost gone in the morning. Suppressing the activity of our brain cells, sleeping pills make us sleepy, less alert and react slower by suppressing the activity of our brain cells. People usually pop one of these pills to help them sleep so that they can function better the next day. Ironically, these pills often do the exact opposite. Users tend to wake up groggy and disoriented, have impaired thinking and performance, and may even become depressed in severe cases. So if you want to score for an important presentation the next morning, avoid popping these pills even if you have difficulty sleeping the night before.

Bizarre happenings have also been reported as disastrous effects of sleeping pills. These mighty pills can make people do strange things such as sleep walking. Some may sleepwalk to the refrigerator and gorge themselves with huge amounts of food. In other tragic cases, victims intoxicated with sleeping pills were found to be sleep driving and ended up in fatal accidents.

Recognizing sleeping pill addiction

If you find yourself identifying with three or more of the following, it is highly probably that you are suffering from sleeping pills addiction and you need to seek professional help from a doctor.

1. You are suffering from depression or anxiety.
2. You need to take a sleeping pill before falling asleep.
3. You feel uneasy if you stop taking sleeping pills.
4. You continue to take sleeping pills even when you don't need them.
5. You find that you are unable to fall asleep if you don't take sleeping pills.
6. You have been increasing the dosage of sleeping pills.

Research materials:
The Dark Side of Sleeping Pills By Daniel F. Kripke
A Woman's Guide to Sleep Disorders by Meir H. Kryger
The Use and Misuse of Sleeping Pills: A Clinical Guide by Wallace B. Mendelson
Friends' experiences & general knowledge

This post has been edited by bishoujo: Jul 7 2008, 05:06 AM

Like I always say... "Take Sleeping Pills as if they were Suicide Pills"

Sleeping pills are deadly if misused (as you should know, many deaths of celebrities are because of sleeping pill overdose or sleeping pill mis-use)

If you are on sleeping pills, never just suddenly stop... You might be able to just suddenly stop an sleep normal but that is very unlikely. Like if you take a pill every night before you go to sleep, cut the pill in half and take just half the pill every night for a week or so, and then later a quarter of a pill, at first it will be a little hard to go to sleep, but soon you should be able to cope without taking any sleeping pills at all!

Remember "Take sleeping pills as if they were suicide pills" good luck not taking any sleeping pills!

The irony of this, I just took a sleeping pill last night. It was the best sleep i've had.

Granted, there are the negatives to it, but the negatives only come out if mis-used.

I have had problems sleeping the past nights with the baby sleeping. Me and the Mrs. take turns for the night watch, if the baby cries.

We don't even regularly use sleeping pills. But once in awhile, when one of us isn't "on shift", a sleeping pill can help you knock out faster when the baby is still crying while the other is on shift.

Believe me, no ear plugs in the world can drown out a baby's cry.