Be careful, you could sleep yourself to memory loss
WHEN taken for a long time, sleep-enhancing pills can cause amnesia (memory loss) says Dr. Ssali. “But if sleep is temporarily disturbed by a stressful event, a medical problem, or a painful memory, sleep enhancers may help prevent short-term insomnia from developing into chronic insomnia.â€
WHEN taken for a long time, sleep-enhancing pills can cause amnesia (memory loss) says Dr. Ssali. “But if sleep is temporarily disturbed by a stressful event, a medical problem, or a painful memory, sleep enhancers may help prevent short-term insomnia from developing into chronic insomnia.â€
“Sleep-enhancing pills provide relief from severe sleep disorders and break the cycle of insomnia and anxiety,†says Dr. Simon Byarugaba, a general practioner at Mulago Hospital.
However, Dr. Kakande says the pills can trigger muscle dysfunction and cerebral palsy (stiffness of the muscles).
“Such instances commonly occur in elderly people who lose sleep due to old age and its associated illnesses,†he adds.
He regrets that young people between 20 and 30 years are increasingly using sleeping pills to overcome stress.
“Some of these pills have potentially harmful effects like parasomnia, a condition in which one has no control over one’s behaviour and actions. A person in this state may have hallucinations, talk, walk, make or receive calls or even have sex when he is asleep and unaware of what is taking place around him.
Sleep driving is another serious side-effect of sleeping pills.
Kakande says dependency on sleep-inducing medication results in addiction because the person starts to believe he cannot fall asleep without the pill. This may also result in withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and rebound insomnia.
Sleeping pill addicts confess they feel compelled to take the pill for fear that if they don’t, they will stay awake all night.
Sleeping pills make one breathe more slowly and less deeply. That can be dangerous for people with asthma or bronchitis.
Common side-effects
Burning or tingling in the hands, arms, feet or legs
Loss of appetite
Constipation
Diarrhoea
Difficulty in keeping balance l Dizziness
Drowsiness
Dry mouth or throat
Gas/bloating of the stomach l Headache
Heartburn
Stomach pain or tenderness l Uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
Unusual dreams
Weakness of the body muscles
“Sleep-enhancing pills provide relief from severe sleep disorders and break the cycle of insomnia and anxiety,†says Dr. Simon Byarugaba, a general practioner at Mulago Hospital.
However, Dr. Kakande says the pills can trigger muscle dysfunction and cerebral palsy (stiffness of the muscles).
“Such instances commonly occur in elderly people who lose sleep due to old age and its associated illnesses,†he adds.
He regrets that young people between 20 and 30 years are increasingly using sleeping pills to overcome stress.
“Some of these pills have potentially harmful effects like parasomnia, a condition in which one has no control over one’s behaviour and actions. A person in this state may have hallucinations, talk, walk, make or receive calls or even have sex when he is asleep and unaware of what is taking place around him.
Sleep driving is another serious side-effect of sleeping pills.
Kakande says dependency on sleep-inducing medication results in addiction because the person starts to believe he cannot fall asleep without the pill. This may also result in withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and rebound insomnia.
Sleeping pill addicts confess they feel compelled to take the pill for fear that if they don’t, they will stay awake all night.
Sleeping pills make one breathe more slowly and less deeply. That can be dangerous for people with asthma or bronchitis.
Common side-effects
Burning or tingling in the hands, arms, feet or legs
Loss of appetite
Constipation
Diarrhoea
Difficulty in keeping balance l Dizziness
Drowsiness
Dry mouth or throat
Gas/bloating of the stomach l Headache
Heartburn
Stomach pain or tenderness l Uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
Unusual dreams
Weakness of the body muscles