
Fitness & Health
Share
Published 09:17 28 Feb 2012 GMT
Updated 14:30 12 Nov 2014 GMT
If you sometimes need to take a sleeping pill in order to help you nod off, you might want to read this. New research has revealed that sleeping pills could be a lot more dangerous than we think.
The Irish Independent reports that hundreds of thousands of people who take sleeping pills twice a month are nearly four times more likely to die prematurely. Not exactly the best news in the world if you suffer from insomnia every now and then…
The results of the research found that some serious questions need to be asked about the safety of sleeping tablets. Yes, if they’re causing people to die prematurely, we reckon it’s probably a good idea to question these things.
The study, which was published in the journal BMJ Open analysed 10,500 people who were taking a wide-range of sleeping pills. People who took sleeping pills were compared with people who didn’t use the drugs but had a similar lifestyle and health conditions to the people who did.
People who were taking pills that contained higher doses of the drug tamazepam were six times more likely to die in the next two and a half years.
For people who were taking pills that contained the drug zolpidem, the risk of death was 5.7 times higher.
The study also revealed that sleeping pills, also known as ‘hypnotics,’ can increase depression and impair everyday skills such as driving. The authors of the study believe that the drugs may be linked to up to 507,000 deaths in America.
Do you occasionally take sleeping pills to help you doze off? It might be time to try alternative methods to get some sleep. We hear lavender oil on the pillow is supposed to be a great help…

HSE considering weight-loss drugs for reimbursement process
Fitness & Health
Further calls to stop Ireland – Israel game in Wheelchair Basketball Championships
Calls are mounting for the Irish Wheelchair Association to cancel their game against Israel on Wednesday. The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) are due to play Israel in the Women B division European Championship on Wednesday this week, despite opposition to the game. First reported by JOE in August, it has since emerged the IWBF granted […]
Fitness & Health
1 week ago
You’ll laugh at this music video on erectile dysfunction – but its message could save your life
The secret to your heart health might be hiding in your pants It’s probably not the health advice you were expecting today. Erectile dysfunction isn’t always just about sex. In some cases, it can actually be one of the earliest signs of heart disease, and it can appear years before any other symptoms.1,2 That’s the message behind ‘Listen to Jordic‘, a new music video from […]
Fitness & Health
3 weeks ago
Fitness & Health
Cancer is on the rise among young people – here are the symptoms you need to look out for
Fitness & Health