Do you know the pros and cons of sleeping pills, which can’t be used as a “sleeping partner”?

"Stay up late and get the least sleep" is the current situation of many young people today. In a busy and fulfilling fast-paced life, many young people's needs for leisure and recharge are difficult to be effectively met, so they have to find compensation at night. Every night, they are "busy" chasing TV series, chatting, eating supper, playing games... This way of staying up late unconsciously gradually causes problems with the originally healthy sleep.

Data shows that more than 300 million people in my country have sleep disorders, and nearly 1/3 of them fall asleep after 1 a.m. every day. In order to have a better sleep, many people are struggling to find a "magic drug" or "folk remedy" that can make them fall asleep as soon as they take it, but they don't expect that the harder they try, the more insomnia they suffer. March 21 is World Sleep Day. The reporter contacted and interviewed relevant experts to explain the pros and cons of various insomnia drugs on the market to people who have trouble sleeping.

"In daily life, most people simply judge whether they need to take sleeping pills based on their feelings, which is very unscientific. How can you test whether you are simply reluctant to sleep or you really have insomnia? In fact, there is evidence to rely on." Dr. Wang Yufan from the pharmacy department said that insomnia in the strict sense requires prolonged sleep latency, that is, difficulty falling asleep; sleep maintenance disorders, which are often manifested as awakenings ≥ 2 times at night or waking up early in the morning; decreased sleep quality, such as shallow sleep and frequent dreams; shortened total sleep time, usually ≤ 6 hours, etc.

Many people with insomnia regard sleeping pills as their last resort, but they do not know that blindly taking the medicine or taking the wrong medicine may lead to a chain reaction, making the symptoms worse. Experts remind that insomnia patients should receive standardized treatment under the guidance of a specialist and should not take the medicine or increase the dosage without authorization. Long-term use or abuse can lead to drug resistance and dependence, memory loss, mental confusion, physiological and emotional changes, and even respiratory depression.

There are many common insomnia-saving drugs on the market. Different types of drugs have different characteristics and corresponding treatment focuses. Blind purchase and use is not recommended. According to Wang Yufan, benzodiazepines such as diazepam, lorazepam, and estazolam have sedative and hypnotic effects in small doses. They can also relieve anxiety and have a good effect on anxiety-related insomnia. It should be noted that after taking such drugs, a hangover effect usually occurs, and adverse reactions such as dizziness, fatigue, and drowsiness appear the next day.

The third generation of non-benzodiazepine hypnotics mainly include zolpidem, zaleplon, zopiclone, etc. Zolpidem is mainly used for those who have difficulty falling asleep. It can shorten the time to fall asleep, reduce the number of awakenings at night, and prolong the total sleep time, thereby improving sleep quality. Zopiclone has a rapid hypnotic effect and is used for insomnia caused by various reasons, especially for patients who cannot tolerate the residual effect of the next morning. Zaleplon is used for short-term treatment of insomnia with difficulty falling asleep. It is quickly and completely absorbed orally, has a short half-life, and has a reduced residual effect the next day. It generally does not cause daytime sleepiness. Experts emphasize that the third generation of non-benzodiazepine hypnotics have fewer adverse reactions and are safer to use. There is a trend of gradually replacing benzodiazepines. When the insomnia state persists and affects the body, mind, work, and study, it is necessary to take such drugs in time under the guidance of a doctor.