Sleep medications are often used to help people fall asleep or stay asleep, especially when dealing with insomnia or other sleep disorders. While these medicines can be helpful for short-term use, taking them for a long time comes with several risks that everyone should know about.
**Physical Side Effects**
Long-term use of sleep medications like Ambien can cause a range of physical problems. Some people experience chronic fatigue, meaning they feel tired all the time even after sleeping. Others might have digestive issues such as nausea, vomiting, or poor digestion. Dry mouth and frequent headaches are also common complaints among long-term users. Muscle pain and poor coordination can make daily activities more difficult and increase the risk of accidents[5].
**Increased Risk of Falls and Accidents**
Older adults who take sleep medications regularly are at a higher risk of falling or suffering head injuries. These drugs can make you feel drowsy during the day, which makes it harder to stay alert and increases the chance of car accidents or other serious injuries[5]. In fact, using sedatives like Ambien has been shown to double the risk of being involved in a car accident.
**Withdrawal Symptoms**
Stopping sleep medications after using them for a long time is not always easy. Many people experience withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit. These symptoms can include digestive problems (like nausea), high blood pressure, fast heart rate, fever, sweating heavily, stomach cramps, tremors—and in severe cases—seizures[5]. Mood swings and panic attacks are also possible during withdrawal.
**Cognitive Decline and Dementia Risk**
Recent studies have found that older adults who use sleep medications “most nights” or “every night” may be at greater risk for cognitive decline and dementia compared to those who do not use these drugs regularly[3]. One large study showed that regular users were about 30% more likely to develop dementia over an eight-year period than non-users.
**Other Health Risks**
Even occasional use has been linked with increased health risks in some studies. For example, research suggests that taking just one to eighteen sleeping pills per year could raise your risk of death compared to those who never take them[1]. The reasons behind this increased risk are still being studied but may involve side effects on heart health or accidental overdoses.
—
In summary:
While sleep medications can offer relief from sleepless nights in the short term, using them over months or years brings real dangers—physical discomforts like fatigue and headaches; higher chances of falls; tough withdrawal symptoms; possible memory loss; even increased mortality rates in some cases[1][3][5]. If you’re thinking about stopping your medication or switching treatments because you’re worried about these risks—talk with your doctor first so you get safe advice tailored just for you!
