Taking this common pill may drastically cut your lifespan, warn scientists

Sleep, once one of life's simplest comforts, has become a luxury in modern times, with rising stress and ever-growing to-do lists. Despite the assistance of tech companions like sleep trackers, white noise machines, and smartwatches, insomnia continues to increase, leading to the growth of the multi-billion-dollar sleep medication industry at a rapid pace.

Sleeping pills do have side effects, but for insomniacs, they are also a trusted way to drift into sleep, when nothing else works. Some daytime drowsiness and concentration issues apart, many people pop these prescription pills regularly to let their brains relax and reset.

While most of these adverse effects are temporary in nature, some of them could be profound. A new study published in the Elsevier journal Sleep Health finds a link between sleeping pills and the risk of dying early. The researchers say regular use of the drugs could reduce life span by 6 years. Here's what we know.

A nearly two-decade research done on 484,916 people with an average age of around 40 years delved into people's sleep quality and length, also taking into account whether or not they took sleeping pills, to assess their expected life span.

Type of sleepers

Medical tests were done to rule out any existing health conditions that may affect a person's risk of early death. People were then divided into four categories, based on their sleeping patterns - extremely short sleepers (slept less than 4 hours a night), short sleepers (slept 4-6 hours a night), medium sleepers (slept 6-8 hours a night), and long sleepers (slept over 8 hours).

Which type of sleepers have the lowest mortality risk?

'Medium sleepers' who slept for 6-8 hours had the lowest mortality risk compared to 'short sleepers' and 'long sleepers' who dozed for more than 8 hours and less than 4 hours respectively.

However, those who slept 6-8 hours but took sleeping pills had a 55% higher mortality risk compared to non-users.

"Our results are staggering to say the least. Many people rely on sleeping pills to help them sleep, so it’s a shock to find that taking them may more than double your mortality risk," says Dr. Yu Sun, MD, Ph.D, a researcher at En Chu Kong Hospital in Taiwan who led the study, in a press release.

Taking sleep pills reduces men's and women's life expectancy differently. While men lived 5.3 years shorter, women lived 5.7 years less. Sleeping pill users also had a higher cancer death rate than those who didn't take the pills and slept for 6 to 8 hours a night.

Sleep deficit and longevity: Is there a link?

A 2012 study published in BMJ Open found that people who took sleeping pills regularly had a higher risk of dying prematurely compared to those who didn't use them. The study revealed that people who used sleeping pills were 3.5 times more likely to die within a two-and-a-half-year period than non-users.

If at all sleeping pills have to be used, they shouldn't be used for extended periods as their long-term use has been linked to increased risks of health complications such as heart disease, cancer, and cognitive decline.

Trying to understand the root cause of insomnia and attempting to correct it is better than taking sleeping pills that offer quick relief but may disrupt the natural sleep cycle, affecting several aspects of health. Taking care of sleep hygiene, avoiding heavy meals at night, switching off gadgets at least 2 hours before sleeping, and doing mindful activities can help you doze off better.