If you’re reading this right now, you’ve either taken a prescription sleep aid before, or you’re thinking about trying one for the first time. Most people aren’t aware of how dangerous and unhealthy prescription sleeping pills can be – and this is especially true for the brain. But regardless of your age, taking prescription sleeping pills can cause harm. If you take them for a long time or if you abuse them, that damage may become irreparable and cause premature brain aging. But there are better solutions! It’s just a matter of knowing what to look for.
Prescription Sleeping Pills Aren’t Actually Making You Sleep – They’re Causing Brain Damage
There are two different types of drugs that doctors will prescribe to seniors who are having trouble sleeping. One category is called hypnotics, and the other is called benzodiazepines. Both of them are terrible for your brain health – and the longer you take them, the more damage they will do to your memories, your mental health, and your overall well-being.
Benzodiazepines are much older and have been around for decades. They’re used primarily for anti-anxiety, and can help people overcome anxiety-related insomnia in the short-term. But many people become easily dependent on these drugs and most people who get a benzodiazepine prescription will eventually abuse the pills. Benzos help your brain produce more GABA, Which calms and relaxes you on a neurological level. But as time goes on, your brain loses the ability to produce GABA on its own because the drug takes its place. Getting off benzos can cause horrible withdrawal symptoms, rebound insomnia, and could permanently handicap your ability to get quality sleep.
But believe it or not, the other class of prescription sleeping pills, hypnotics, can be even worse. They come with the same risk of addiction and dependency, with very similar withdrawal symptoms such as rebound insomnia. But hypnotic sleeping pills are dangerous for a couple of other reasons. The first reason is that they don’t actually put you to sleep – they just trick you into thinking you’re asleep In a similar way to that of hypnosis, hence the name. They shut down most of your frontal cortex, which is the part of your brain responsible for impulse control, logical thoughts, and consciousness. But every other part of your brain is still as active as if you were awake. That’s why you hear horror stories about people sleep-driving, sleep-eating, and even having sexual encounters in their sleep with no memory of these events. Some people have even been injured (or worse) because they did something dangerous while under the influence of a hypnotic sleeping pill.
The second reason for avoiding dangerous hypnotics is because hypnotics inhibit both REM and delta wave sleep. Delta wave sleep is important for detoxing your brain and promoting the growth of new, healthy brain cells (neurogenesis). Toxic build-up of cellular waste products and a lack of neurogenesis in the brain all contribute towards the development of age-related brain disease. REM sleep is the only sleep stage where your brain can process new memories and refresh itself to maintain the Integrity of old ones. So if you aren’t sleeping at all, or if you’re taking a prescription pill which reduces the quality of your sleep, you’re leaving yourself wide open to diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. And your quality of life will suffer the most as you get older.
Natural Sleep Aids Work Better Than Prescription Pills
Natural sleep aids work much better than prescription sleeping pills when it comes to helping people get the sleep they need. If you’re concerned about the quality of your sleep, then you should be focused on finding a safe, healthy, natural sleep aid to help you get the rest you want. But what does a natural sleep aid look like?
Natural sleep supplements don’t contain any chemical drugs like you find in a prescription sleeping pill. They do not put you in a hypnotic state, and they do not disrupt the natural GABA cycle the way that benzodiazepine pills do. They contain safe, natural ingredients like:
- Valerian root
- Orange peel
- Hops extract
- Lemon balm
- Melatonin
- And much more
Best of all, they help you fall asleep all on your own without any nasty side effects or hangover the next day. So stop begging your doctor to pull out the prescription pad, and start looking for advice on how to get a safe, natural sleep aid that works for you and your body.
