After exhausting natural options to better sleep, your licensed physician may have prescribed a sleeping medication to help you get back on track. However, while numerous studies have already linked sleeping aids to an increase in motor vehicle accidents, a recent study suggests that the risk is even higher for new users.
Led by University of Washington assistant professor of pharmacy, Ryan Hansen, and published in the American Journal of Public Health, medical and crash data was collected on a total of 409, 171 adults who were at least 21 years for an extended period of time between 2003 and 2008.
The findings showed that the risk of being in a motor vehicle crash nearly doubled among the new users of the sleep medications temazepam (Restoril), zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR) and trazodone (Desyrel), compared to the general population.
Additionally, the research team noted that risk was comparable to a blood alcohol concentration of .06%-.11%. With the legal limit being .08%, this means that the participants taking sleep medications were as likely, or more likely, to crash than someone who is legally intoxicated.
“There are many approaches to the management of insomnia, including lifestyle changes such as cutting caffeine intake and exercising, which may alleviate the insomnia without medications,” Hansen shared with NewsBeat. “There’s a public safety concern that we want health providers and the general public to be aware of.”
Battling insomnia is no easy task, making it incredibly tempting to make sleep medication you first option. Nonetheless, sit down with a licensed physician or sleep specialist to discuss natural strategies to improve your shut-eye, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-I). CBT-I is being promoted among our U.S. military and has to have long-term effects.
We want to see you take advantage of all that life has to offer, and it starts with restorative sleep on a high-quality mattress every night of the week!
No comments yet.