It might seem harmless to take a sleeping pill or two to get a better night's sleep, but experts are urging people to take these pills with caution.
Pill designed to help people snooze pose the same threat as a pack of cigarettes each day, according to the Daily Mail. Experts say they have found evidence linking sleeping pills to cancer and even heart attacks.
Instead of taking sleeping pills, Arizona State University sleep researcher Shawn Youngstedt said people should opt to exercise more. With this physical activity, people will feel tired and fall asleep naturally.
"Sleeping pills are extremely hazardous. They are as bad as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day," Youngstedt told CNN. "Not to mention they cause infections, falling and dementia in the elderly, and they lose their effectiveness after a few weeks."
Youngstedt is strongly urging people to opt for physical activities to help them get better sleep. "It's less expensive, healthier and just as easy to exercise. And there's an added bonus: research suggests those who are physically active have lower risk of developing insomnia in the first place," he said.
Over a million people in the U.S. suffer from insomnia, and many of them turn to sleeping pills for aid. Older types of sleeping pills, such as the diazepam, have become less popular over the years because of its link to troubling health issues.
The diazepam has been replaced by the newer "Z-drugs," which gained popularity due to fewer side effects. It is also less addictive. If not the "Z-drugs," then people take melatonin, especially to cure jetlag.
However, experts say these drugs are not as perfect as they seem. Chinese scientists learned in 2014 that the "Z-drugs" actually increase chances of heart attacks by up to 50 percent.
A study conducted by the University of Washington in 2015 also showed a disturbing link between sleeping tablets and dementia.
