Sleeping pills like the prescription medications Restoril, Ambien, and Desyrel have a wide variety of side effects, but one of the most common effects is drowsiness. That makes sense, given that these pills are meant to sedate you in order to give you a full night's rest. However, according to a recent study it seems that this drowsiness is more than a simple inconvenience; it doubles users' risk of car crashes for the first year of use.

The Study: Sleeping Medication and Car Crashes

Researchers analyzed medical and car crash data from over 400,000 residents of Washington state to find out how three sleeping medications--temazepam (Restoril), zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR) and trazodone (Desyrel)--affected crash risk. Their results are pretty shocking.

The Results

Researchers found that new users of the medication--patients who had just started treatment with one of the three drugs--had double the risk of being in an automobile crash as the rest of the population. 

The researchers stated that a comparable blood alcohol content that would result in the same risk increase would be .06%--.11%. The legal limit is .08%. This means that patients who take sleeping pills are as likely, or more likely, to crash than people who are legally intoxicated.

Unfortunately, the results of this research are hardly surprising. The tendency of sleep deprivation to increase risk of automobile accidents is well-established, to the point that it is widely acknowledged that driving sleep-deprived is just as bad as driving drunk. 

A Drowsy Dilemma 

On one hand, no one wants drivers on the road who are impaired by drowsiness caused by their medications. On the other hand, no one should be required to suffer through sleep deprivation. 

Unfortunately, there's no easy answer. The scientists behind the study remarked that "Depending on an individual’s need to drive regularly, combined with a medical indication for sedative use, the choice of a particular sedative may affect the risk of crashing...patients should discuss this potential risk...when selecting a sedative hypnotic medication."

Alternative Treatments

Ryan Hansen, assistant professor of pharmacy at the University of Washington and lead researcher of the study, remarked, "There are many approaches to the management of insomnia, including lifestyle changes such as cutting caffeine intake and exercising, which may alleviate the insomnia without medications." Following good sleeping habits, like setting a regular sleep schedule and removing distractions from the bedroom, can improve insomnia without using sleeping pills. Also, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been proposed as an alternative treatment to sleeping pills. 

If you suffer from insomnia, you should talk to your doctor about treatment options or contact us to learn more about sleep disorders and how to improve your sleep health.

Sources: 

1) Hansen, Ryan N, PharmD, PhD et al. "Sedative Hypnotic Medication Use and the Risk of Motor Vehicle Crash." American Journal of Public Health. Reported by the University of Washington newspaper Newsbeat.

Photo Credit: perthhproductions. "Car crash, Karrinyup Road Stirling". Creative Commons License.