Conventional sleeping pills can significantly increase the risk of dementia, a study has found.
People who reported taking the drugs “often” or “almost always” were up to 80 percent more likely to be diagnosed than people who never or rarely took them.
However, the results only applied to whites, which the researchers say may indicate that other lifestyle choices and household income may also be a factor.
There is also the possibility that insomnia – the reason many take sleeping pills – is a risk factor for cognitive decline later in life. The experiment included only prescription drugs like Ambien, not over-the-counter supplements like melatonin.
However, there is evidence that melatonin also causes cognitive problems when taken over a long period of time.
People who took sleeping pills often had a 79 percent increased risk of developing dementia
Prescription sleeping pills like Ambien are growing in popularity in the US, with about 17 million Americans taking them
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than eight percent of adults use sleep aids, from a few times a week to every night, or about 17 million.
One in three Americans get insufficient sleep. Sleeping less than seven hours a day is linked to an increased risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
A team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco enrolled 3,068 people with an average age of 74 in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study and followed them for an average of nine years.
Over the 15-year study, more than 20 percent developed dementia.
White subjects, who made up 58 percent of the sample, were significantly more likely to take sleeping pills than their black counterparts. And those who “often” or “almost always” took pills were 79 percent more likely to develop dementia.
Dr. Yue Leng of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences said: “Differences can be attributed to socioeconomic status.
“Black participants who have access to sleeping pills may be a select group with high socioeconomic status and therefore greater cognitive reserve, making them less prone to dementia.
“It is also possible that some sleep aids are associated with a higher risk of dementia than others.”
Sleeping pills are becoming increasingly common in the US, with millions of people dependent on them, but scientists have warned that they do not work as a long-term cure for insomnia.
The study authors asked participants three times: “Do you take sleeping pills or other medications to help you sleep?” with the answer options: ‘never’ (zero times a month), ‘rarely’ (once a month or less), ‘sometimes’ (two to four times a month), ‘often’ (five to fifteen times a month), or “almost always” (16 to 30 times a month).
Study participants reported using a variety of prescription drugs for insomnia, including benzodiazepines such as Halcion, Dalmane and Restoril, the antidepressant trazodone, and so-called Z drugs such as Ambien and Lunesta.
What you need to know about sleeping pills
READ MORE: Sleeping pills, taken by millions of American adults, have been linked to addiction, overdose, daytime sleepiness and even a higher risk of death compared to those who don’t take them.
Most sleep aids have a range of side effects, many of which can be mild, such as dizziness and persistent drowsiness. But a habit of taking benzodiazepines and sleep-inducing drugs like Ambien can be addictive most nights and lead to dependence or addiction.
The San Francisco findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, are not the first to link sleeping pills to an increased risk of dementia. In 2018, a study from the University of Eastern Finland found that patients using benzodiazepines or Z-drugs increased their risk of Alzheimer’s disease by about six percent.
In 2014, a team of researchers from France and Canada found a link between benzodiazepines and Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. People who took a benzodiazepine for three months or less had about the same risk of dementia as those who had never taken one.
Meanwhile, taking a benzo for three to six months increased the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 32 percent, and taking it for more than six months increased the risk by 84 percent.
Dr Leng urged people to think twice before reaching for a pill and start with a sleep test and cognitive behavioral therapy instead.
“If medication must be used, melatonin may be a safer option, but we need more evidence to understand long-term health effects,” said Dr. Ling.
Ironically, although sleeping pills increase the risk of dementia, insomnia is also considered a risk factor for dementia.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
