Popular insomnia drugs may cause dementia

Popular insomnia drugs may cause dementia

With sleep problems on this rise, sleeping pills are becoming more popular. However, these same pills could cause problems. A new study shows that popular insomnia drugs may cause dementia.

The CDC calls insufficient sleep a health problem.

According to the CDC article:

According to data from the National Health Interview Survey, nearly 30% of adults reported an average of ≤6 hours of sleep per day in 2005-2007. In 2009, only 31% of high school students reported getting at least 8 hours of sleep on an average school night.

Recent studies have shown a connection between anticholinergic medications and dementia. This category of medications includes sleep aid drugs, allergy drugs, and flu medications. These medications include: Benadryl, Tylenol PM, Advil PM, Dimetapp, Dramamine, Unisom, Paxil and Demerol.

Shelley Gray, a pharmacist at the University of Washington’s School of Pharmacy, led an important study to confirm the link between anticholinergic drugs and dementia.

The research team tracked all the drugs taken by over 3,500 participants in a long-term study called Adult Changes in Though (ACT). This was the first study to include sleeping aids along with prescription drugs.

They monitored the participants’ health was observed for about seven years. After the study, the researchers found that anticholinergic drugs was linked to a 54 percent higher risk of dementia.

Another study published in the journal JAMA Neurology used brain scans to learn how anticholinergic drugs affect the brain. Dr. Alexandra Sowa, an internist and clinical instructor at Weill Cornell Medical College noted in her study that these medications produced physical changes in the brain.

The researchers found that there was a link between anticholinergic drugs and brain atrophy, dysfunction, and clinical decline.

For a safer way to get better sleep, try our beet and fennel insomnia juice recipe.

Note: None of the information in our website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. The content on our website is for educational purposes only.

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Beet and fennel insomnia relieving juice.
Anti-insomnia juice.

Stress relieving lavender mint tea.

REFERENCES:
1. “Popular Insomnia Drugs Put You At Risk for Dementia.” Underground Health Reporter. Underground Health Reporter, 30 Nov. 2016. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.
2. “Strong Anticholinergics and Incident Dementia.” JAMA Internal Medicine. The JAMA Network, 01 Mar. 2015. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.
3. “Anticholinergic Use, Cognition, Brain Metabolism, and Brain Atrophy.” JAMA Neurology. The JAMA Network, 01 June 2016. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.

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