Sleep used to be something simple and natural. But today, many people find it hard to sleep because of stress and busy lives. Even with gadgets like sleep trackers and sound machines, insomnia (trouble sleeping) is getting more common. This has made the sleep medication industry grow quickly, making billions of dollars.
Sleeping pills can help people fall asleep when nothing else works. Although they can cause some side effects like feeling sleepy during the day or having trouble focusing, many people take them regularly.
Most side effects go away, but some might be serious. A new study in the journal Sleep Health found that taking sleeping pills regularly may shorten your life by up to six years.
The study followed about 485,000 people for nearly 20 years. These people were about 40 years old, and researchers looked at their sleep habits and whether they used sleeping pills.
People were grouped by how much they slept:
- Less than 4 hours: extremely short sleepers
- 4 to 6 hours: short sleepers
- 6 to 8 hours: medium sleepers
- More than 8 hours: long sleepers
Those who slept 6 to 8 hours without pills had the lowest risk of dying early. But people who slept the same amount and took sleeping pills had a 55% higher risk of dying.
Dr. Yu Sun, the lead researcher, said the results were shocking. He said people rely on sleep medication, but it might actually double the risk of dying early.
Men who used sleeping pills lived about 5.3 years less, and women about 5.7 years less. These pill users were also more likely to die from cancer.
An earlier study in 2012 also found that people who took sleeping pills had a higher chance of dying early—3.5 times more likely than those who didn’t use them.
Experts say sleeping pills should only be used for short periods. Long-term use can increase the risk of heart problems, cancer, and memory issues.
Instead of relying on pills, it’s better to find and treat the real cause of insomnia. Sleeping pills might give short-term relief but can harm your natural sleep cycle and overall health.