LA Times: Sleeping pill use grows as economy keeps people up at night

[marmar]

Sleeping pill use grows as economy keeps people up at night
More Americans are turning to such medications, but they're not without risks, such as dependence, next-day drowsiness, memory loss and sleep-walking.

By Denise Gellene
March 30, 2009


Lost jobs and lost careers. Promising businesses in shambles. The college acceptance letter returned to its envelope. This is how President Obama recently described the effect of the tanking economy on ordinary Americans -- and the stresses keeping them up at night.

Sleeplessness is a problem even in good times. One in 10 U.S. adults routinely has trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, and 3 in 10 experience occasional sleeplessness, federal statistics show.

But these are definitely not good times. More than 1 in 4 -- 27% of Americans -- say anxieties about personal finances, the economy or a job loss kept them awake in the previous month, according to a new poll by the National Sleep Foundation.

If that isn't enough evidence of our increasingly sleep-deprived state, consider this: Since September, audiences of such after-prime-time network shows as "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" have risen. No wonder the collective experience of "sleepless nights" found its way into a presidential address.

As Americans struggle for a good night's rest, they are looking for help from a pill. Prescriptions for sleeping medications topped 56 million in 2008 -- a record, according to the research firm IMS Health, up 54% from 2004.

Those numbers could grow. With an economic turnaround not expected before late 2009, some specialists are predicting another record year for sleeping pill use. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-sleep30-2009mar30,0,1418832.story

[rcrush]

1. I dont trust that stuff.

prescription sleeping pills give me the willies. I keep reading about those people who take Ambien then go run errands while sleeping. This is how the zombie army will form you just wait and see.

[soothsayer]

2. I think it's the ELF transmissions that are keeping us all from sleeping soundly

Of course, stress doesn't help, but big pharma and their nasites are a big fat problem

[Warpy]

3. Jeez, people need to watch that stuff

There are a couple of problems, habituation and dependency.

In the first case, people become afraid of insomnia and start taking the pills every night, "just in case." In the second, they find that after a couple of weeks of this, there is no way they can sleep without them and they still have occasional insomnia with them. Then they start doubling up or taking a drink to help them along and that's when they run into serious trouble with them.

Both problems need to be addressed by the prescribing doc and by a pharmy. One sleepless night will make you feel like crap the next day. Three in a row can be dangerous. That sleeping pill should be taken on that third night and only on the third night.

Besides, without insomnia how would we ever know about infomercials?

[Mari333]

4. I pop melatonin

works for me. try to stop coffee around 3 pm. then, lay there are breathe in and out saying 'sleep sleep sleep' over and over as i breathe. usually works. tried ambien once. ugh. never again.

[soothsayer]

5. too much melatonin can make you all woozy and foggy and cranky too

[Mari333]

7. so far, the melatonin hasnt bothered me but I am old

and old people's bodies lose the ability to produce melatonin, I have read, so that might be why. On the other hand, I tried the ambien once and it was not a pleasant experience. :)

[dysfunctional press]

6. for me- it's all the opiates that keep me awake at night...

i have chronic pain, and the meds tend to take away the pain, and leave me somewhat energized.
i've tried sleeping pills- but ambien and lunesta can be pricey...
i prefer to just take a couple of flexerils. it seems to work every time.

[XemaSab]

8. I discovered Advil PM a few weeks ago

I not only have trouble GOING to sleep, but I have trouble STAYING asleep.

I have seen more 3AMs (not to mention 5AMs) in the last few months than I care to recount.

Advil PM is just okay for the going to sleep part, but it's really helping out with the staying asleep part.