This May Keep You Up at Night
Every once in awhile I read a blog post and someone will have used Ambien or Lunesta to get a good night's sleep before a big race. Others take these prescription drugs occasionally - hopefully, not routinely - when sleep eludes them for too long.
A new study suggests these sleeping pills may have some serious side effects, like upping your chances of developing certain cancers or shortening your life by years.
Sleeping Pills Linked to Raised Risk of Death, Cancer
Insomnia is a serious issue. I've written often here about both the reprecussions from chronic sleep depravation and some possible solutions. If you are prescribed a pill to help you sleep, be careful. And if you take over the counter meds, like Advil PM or Tylenol PM, as a routine course, try to find the root cause of your sleeplessness. It may be another medication's side effects or it may be chronic stress. It could even be you are nodding off during the day more than you think or that your body can no longer tolerate caffeine too late in the day.
It's also possible you are exercising too late in the day. I had to give up Tuesday and Thursday evening track workouts because I never slept well afterward. Perhaps a change in routine is all you need too.
A new study suggests these sleeping pills may have some serious side effects, like upping your chances of developing certain cancers or shortening your life by years.
Sleeping Pills Linked to Raised Risk of Death, Cancer
Insomnia is a serious issue. I've written often here about both the reprecussions from chronic sleep depravation and some possible solutions. If you are prescribed a pill to help you sleep, be careful. And if you take over the counter meds, like Advil PM or Tylenol PM, as a routine course, try to find the root cause of your sleeplessness. It may be another medication's side effects or it may be chronic stress. It could even be you are nodding off during the day more than you think or that your body can no longer tolerate caffeine too late in the day.
It's also possible you are exercising too late in the day. I had to give up Tuesday and Thursday evening track workouts because I never slept well afterward. Perhaps a change in routine is all you need too.
