SUNDAY VISION - Sleep is key to life, so when some people get insomnia, they turn to sleeping pills. Many do this without prescription, while others turn to sleep-inducing pills after consulting a doctor.

Unfortunately, it does not really matter how one started using the pills, because a research report released in 2012 shows that people who take sleeping pills increase their risk of early death by 4.6%.

The study involved 10,500 people who took sleeping pills and 23,600 people who did not. At the end of the study, results showed that those taking sleeping pills had a higher risk of dying during a two-and-a-half year period compared to those who did not take sleeping pills.

It was found that out of 10,531 (one in every 16 people), a total of 638 people on sleeping pills died during this period, while of 23,674 people (one in every 80 people), only 295 people who were not on the pill died.

The researchers tried to rule out health conditions like heart and lung diseases while conducting their research.

It is argued that people who take sleeping pills are at a higher risk because these pills sedate the patients, which increases incidences like accidents.

The pills have also been found to alter breathing patterns during sleep, something that can increase one’s risk of dying.

These research results notwithstanding, people taking sleeping pills after prescription are advised to talk to their doctors before abandoning the drugs, since they might be key to managing their conditions.

Besides, it is not a given that everyone who takes sleeping pills will die early.