Sleep Well Without Medication
Are you taking a medication to help you sleep? It could be causing you more harm than good.
Sleeping pills, also known as sedatives, may be prescribed when you have trouble sleeping.
There are many different types of sleeping pills; most of them have similar and significant side effects. For this reason, clinical guidelines recommend using sleeping pills to treat insomnia for a short period of time only (no more than a few weeks). For older adults, they should simply be avoided.
After as little as a few weeks, the brain can get used to the effects of sleeping pills: they may stop working as well as when you first started taking them. This can lead to taking higher and higher doses. Even when they are not working as well, the risks of harm from sleeping pills remains the same.
Below are a few examples of harmful effects caused by sleeping pills:
They can have a negative impact on your memory and ability to concentrate.
They can increase your risk of falls and fractures.
They can increase your risk of having a car accident.
They can increase your risk of being hospitalized.
Are you taking a sleeping pill?
Want to learn more about sleeping pills? Click here to read a brochure explaining why they are not the preferred approach to treat sleep problems (insomnia). The brochure also presents safer alternatives to sleeping pills, a patient’s testimonial, and an example of gradual sleeping pill reduction program.
Talk to your pharmacist, doctor or nurse to find out if you can safely stop your sleeping pills. Do not stop your sleeping pills suddenly, as you may have unpleasant withdrawal effects, such as trouble sleeping and anxiety. You can reduce or avoid these effects by lowering the dose gradually.
ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE CHANGING OR STOPPING ANY OF YOUR MEDICATIONS.
How to sleep well, without medication: learn about sleep therapy
Getting a good night’s sleep is important. For safe and effective treatment of chronic sleeping problems, experts recommend sleep therapy, or cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-i). Compared to sleeping pills, sleep therapy is a safer solution to insomnia and remains effective in the long term.
Check out this brochure to learn more about sleep therapy. This brochure is a great way for you to get started with sleep therapy.
This brochure includes:
a sleep diary workbook,
information about common beliefs around sleep, and
some strategies to manage daily stress that could be affecting sleep.
Visit the MySleepwell.ca website, to learn how you can get your sleep back without using medications. Sleepwell is an initiative led by researchers from Dalhousie University, in Halifax.
Sleepwell offers a list of recommended self-help resources on sleep hygiene and sleep therapy.
Hear how sleep therapy helped people gradually stop sleeping pills and rebuild healthy sleep habits. Watch patient testimonials on the Sleepwell website.
