Can Elderly Take Sleeping Pills

You may wake up feeling groggy a hangover after using some sleeping pills or feel drowsy lethargic less alert or less able to focus the next day.

Can elderly take sleeping pills. 4182012 To answer your question I consulted with my colleague geriatrician Suzanne Salamon. The reason the elderly take more sleeping pills is that they dont sleep well said Dr. 11112005 Other common side effects associated with sleeping pill use among the elderly included headaches nightmares and nausea.

Prescription sleeping pills and even some nonprescription sleeping pills as well as certain antidepressants may not be safe if you are pregnant breast-feeding or an older adult. Find out about the dangers of sleeping pills. 4 Sedative-hypnotic sleeping pills are not recommended for long-term use as they can actually start to hinder sleep if they are used regularly for an extended period of time or cause withdrawal if a person suddenly tries to stop using them.

3242014 The Risks of Taking Sleeping Pills. 8202015 Despite the recognition within the medical community that sleeping pills are not ideal for seniors nearly one-third of people older than 65 in the United States take sleeping pills both. 692020 Those concerns may be valid there seems to be good reason to give up the sleeping pills.

They tend to lose very deep sleep their sleep is more fragmented. 1 5 Some sleeping pills can cause temporary memory loss in older people. She told me that she is reluctant to prescribe sleeping pills to her older patients.

5102012 Other physicians agree that use of sleeping pills should be with caution. 662012 In the elderly however the concurrent use of other medication or alcohol as well as the reduction in body weight and impaired ability of the body to process medication holds additional dangers. These drugs are called sedative- hypnotics or tranquilizers They affect the brain and spinal cord.

They lead to daytime grogginess and may contribute to cognitive problems poor balance and falls. A 2016 review published in Clinical Therapeutics set out to determine the safety and efficacy of sleep medicines prescribed to older adults. Recent studies indicate that sleep-inducing medication can be unhealthy when taken on a daily basis.