Sleeping pills should be a last resort - Article about insomnia and the addiction to sleeping pills
Lying in bed, your eyes want to close but your brain is not allowing slumber to take over. You have just reached that deep sleep, or so you think, and then you wake up for the fifth time that night. You are victim to sleep disorder.
There are many people who have fallen victim to what they diagnose as sleep disorder and are now taking sleeping pills to get the rest they require. Focusing on students it is clear that sleeping pills have become more of a ‘preventative measure’ than a ‘cure’.
The medical dictionary online gives the definition of sleep disorder as, “a group of syndromes characterized by disturbance in the patient's amount of sleep, quality or timing of sleep, or in behaviors or physiological conditions associated with sleep.”
The Victims
Xenye Pretorius an Economics’ Honours student suffers from being overtired and overworked after a day of studying. Yet, as soon as she gets into bed she cannot fall asleep. “I sleep 5 to 6 hours a night and I need to make sure I have enough energy to study the next day. I started taking medication 4 months ago when insomnia became a constant condition.”
Jaryd Lemmer an Engineering student struggles to fall asleep and he views the tossing and turning as a waste of time. “I only started taking medication after waiting a few months, in order to see if it would get better by itself first.”
Inge Botha a Social Work student has been struggling with sleep apnea “since school, actually since I can remember. I started taking medication for it in university; it was in my second year that I started taking melatonin and during my third year sleeping pills. I can fall asleep but it’s the constant waking up that bothers me”.
Herman Van Wymeersch has “always struggled with sleeping a little, but university and postgraduate studies definitely exacerbated the problems. I started taking sleeping pills for the first time this year”.
Sarah Boesak, has “suffered from insomnia since high school, so about 7 years. I was put onto medication in matric.”
The five victims all struggle either from different forms of sleep disorder or have been struggling for varied lengths of time. The two most common forms of sleep disorder are insomnia or sleep apnea. Helpguide.org offers explanations as well as the common symptoms of both:
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. Symptoms of insomnia as given by helpguide.org are “difficulty falling asleep at night or getting back to sleep after waking during the night. Your sleep feels light, fragmented, or exhausting. You need to take something; sleeping pills, nightcap or supplements in order to get to sleep. You have sleepiness and low energy during the day.”
“Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder in which your breathing temporarily stops during sleep due to the blockage of the upper airways. These pauses in breathing interrupt your sleep, leading to many awakenings each hour. While most people with sleep apnea don’t remember these awakenings, they might feel exhausted during the day, irritable and depressed, or see a decrease in productivity.”
The Cause
Students have varying reasons for deciding to turn to medication to help them, but most are due to university and the stress of studies making it worse than before.
According to Pretorius, “university definitely made it worse, stress levels affect it directly. I also sleep eat.” She uses over-the-counter medication, which “sometimes needs to be mixed with alcohol to make it work for me. I don’t have time to waste on not being able to sleep.”
Lemmer says “during test week my sleeping pattern is so messed up, which makes the insomnia much worse”. Van Wymeersch has always struggled with sleeping, but “only started taking sleeping pills for the first time this year”. He blames the increased struggle on his lifestyle of “exam anxiety, methylphenidate and caffeine, which makes sleeping almost impossible for me”.
Boesak blames “staying up till all hours, not being able to sleep and then still having to focus in class every day. The stress also made it a lot harder for me to get to sleep.”
Often students do not take sleeping tablets during the term but rather during stressful times. This is for the prevention of not being able to make full use of the next day of studying. Karin van Staden from Stelkor Campus Pharmacy proves this through “sales of sleeping pills increase during March and November, while the sales remain relatively constant for the rest of the year”. Both March and November are just before exams.
Dr Kirby from Stellenbosch Campus Clinic says that “many students only come for help after they have overslept before a test or exam. Be wise don’t wait for test week or exams to sort out a sleeping problem, come before.”
Avoiding sleeping pills
Every person has had a night where they either can’t fall asleep; they spend what feels like hours just tossing and turning and eventually they consider taking that pill which will allow them peace and rest. But is it necessary to take that pill?
Inge Botha describes her reluctance to taking sleeping pills, “I’ve stopped taking sleeping pills now because the side effects are very bad for me. I still don’t sleep fine but I’d rather not take them. I get depressed, headaches and can’t concentrate.”
Herman Van Wymeersch “started using melatonin and sensory deprivation 45 minutes before bed time because I didn't like the feeling of sedation but because melatonin is hormonal and sleeping pills are pretty much poison neither are long term solutions”.
Alternatives to sleeping tablets are recommended by Dr. Kirby, “no caffeine after 4pm, no smoking, no excess alcohol; maximum 3 drinks per day for men and 2 for women.Moderate aerobic exercise for 2,5 hours each week; this means 30minutes daily or 40 minutes 5 times a week. No exercise within 2 hours of bed time.”
With regards to test or exam times Dr Kirby says, “Leave menial tasks for before bed like showering, packing away washing, doing the dishes. This allows the brain wind-down time. Do not attempt to study right up until you climb into bed.”
Students have fallen victim not only to sleep disorder but also to the belief in quick fixes. If you think you are struggling with insomnia or any of the other sleep disorders, first try to adjust your lifestyle and then turn to medication. Rather ensure a healthy lifestyle in addition to good sleeping patterns.
There are many people who have fallen victim to what they diagnose as sleep disorder and are now taking sleeping pills to get the rest they require. Focusing on students it is clear that sleeping pills have become more of a ‘preventative measure’ than a ‘cure’.
The medical dictionary online gives the definition of sleep disorder as, “a group of syndromes characterized by disturbance in the patient's amount of sleep, quality or timing of sleep, or in behaviors or physiological conditions associated with sleep.”
The Victims
Xenye Pretorius an Economics’ Honours student suffers from being overtired and overworked after a day of studying. Yet, as soon as she gets into bed she cannot fall asleep. “I sleep 5 to 6 hours a night and I need to make sure I have enough energy to study the next day. I started taking medication 4 months ago when insomnia became a constant condition.”
Jaryd Lemmer an Engineering student struggles to fall asleep and he views the tossing and turning as a waste of time. “I only started taking medication after waiting a few months, in order to see if it would get better by itself first.”
Inge Botha a Social Work student has been struggling with sleep apnea “since school, actually since I can remember. I started taking medication for it in university; it was in my second year that I started taking melatonin and during my third year sleeping pills. I can fall asleep but it’s the constant waking up that bothers me”.
Herman Van Wymeersch has “always struggled with sleeping a little, but university and postgraduate studies definitely exacerbated the problems. I started taking sleeping pills for the first time this year”.
Sarah Boesak, has “suffered from insomnia since high school, so about 7 years. I was put onto medication in matric.”
The five victims all struggle either from different forms of sleep disorder or have been struggling for varied lengths of time. The two most common forms of sleep disorder are insomnia or sleep apnea. Helpguide.org offers explanations as well as the common symptoms of both:
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder. Symptoms of insomnia as given by helpguide.org are “difficulty falling asleep at night or getting back to sleep after waking during the night. Your sleep feels light, fragmented, or exhausting. You need to take something; sleeping pills, nightcap or supplements in order to get to sleep. You have sleepiness and low energy during the day.”
“Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder in which your breathing temporarily stops during sleep due to the blockage of the upper airways. These pauses in breathing interrupt your sleep, leading to many awakenings each hour. While most people with sleep apnea don’t remember these awakenings, they might feel exhausted during the day, irritable and depressed, or see a decrease in productivity.”
The Cause
Students have varying reasons for deciding to turn to medication to help them, but most are due to university and the stress of studies making it worse than before.
According to Pretorius, “university definitely made it worse, stress levels affect it directly. I also sleep eat.” She uses over-the-counter medication, which “sometimes needs to be mixed with alcohol to make it work for me. I don’t have time to waste on not being able to sleep.”
Lemmer says “during test week my sleeping pattern is so messed up, which makes the insomnia much worse”. Van Wymeersch has always struggled with sleeping, but “only started taking sleeping pills for the first time this year”. He blames the increased struggle on his lifestyle of “exam anxiety, methylphenidate and caffeine, which makes sleeping almost impossible for me”.
Boesak blames “staying up till all hours, not being able to sleep and then still having to focus in class every day. The stress also made it a lot harder for me to get to sleep.”
Often students do not take sleeping tablets during the term but rather during stressful times. This is for the prevention of not being able to make full use of the next day of studying. Karin van Staden from Stelkor Campus Pharmacy proves this through “sales of sleeping pills increase during March and November, while the sales remain relatively constant for the rest of the year”. Both March and November are just before exams.
Dr Kirby from Stellenbosch Campus Clinic says that “many students only come for help after they have overslept before a test or exam. Be wise don’t wait for test week or exams to sort out a sleeping problem, come before.”
Avoiding sleeping pills
Every person has had a night where they either can’t fall asleep; they spend what feels like hours just tossing and turning and eventually they consider taking that pill which will allow them peace and rest. But is it necessary to take that pill?
Inge Botha describes her reluctance to taking sleeping pills, “I’ve stopped taking sleeping pills now because the side effects are very bad for me. I still don’t sleep fine but I’d rather not take them. I get depressed, headaches and can’t concentrate.”
Herman Van Wymeersch “started using melatonin and sensory deprivation 45 minutes before bed time because I didn't like the feeling of sedation but because melatonin is hormonal and sleeping pills are pretty much poison neither are long term solutions”.
Alternatives to sleeping tablets are recommended by Dr. Kirby, “no caffeine after 4pm, no smoking, no excess alcohol; maximum 3 drinks per day for men and 2 for women.Moderate aerobic exercise for 2,5 hours each week; this means 30minutes daily or 40 minutes 5 times a week. No exercise within 2 hours of bed time.”
With regards to test or exam times Dr Kirby says, “Leave menial tasks for before bed like showering, packing away washing, doing the dishes. This allows the brain wind-down time. Do not attempt to study right up until you climb into bed.”
Students have fallen victim not only to sleep disorder but also to the belief in quick fixes. If you think you are struggling with insomnia or any of the other sleep disorders, first try to adjust your lifestyle and then turn to medication. Rather ensure a healthy lifestyle in addition to good sleeping patterns.
Very informative post. .:) enjoyed reading every bit of it ...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing ..
Apu