Many people have trouble falling or staying asleep. This is known as insomnia.
To help with sleep, some people use medications that can be bought over the counter or prescribed by a doctor. These include drugs like benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and sedative-hypnotics.
While they may help in the short term, a new study raises concerns about their long-term effects—especially the risk of developing dementia.
The study followed more than 3,000 older adults who did not have dementia at the start. After about nine years, 20% of the participants had developed dementia. But the risk wasn’t the same for everyone.
White participants who often used sleep medications were found to have a 79% higher chance of developing dementia compared to those who didn’t use them. Black participants, who used sleep aids less often, did not show a similar increase in risk.
This difference may be due to unequal access to sleep medications. White participants were more likely to use a wider range of drugs like benzodiazepines, trazodone, and Z-drugs (such as Ambien). This may help explain why their risk of dementia was higher.
The study also suggests that it’s not just whether someone uses sleep aids, but the type and amount of medication that could increase dementia risk.
Because of these findings, experts suggest looking at other ways to treat insomnia before turning to medications. One major step is checking for health issues like sleep apnea, which can disturb sleep. Treating these underlying problems may help people sleep better.
Another effective option is cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). This therapy focuses on changing habits and thoughts that affect sleep. Unlike drugs, it doesn’t have harmful side effects.
Some people also try melatonin, a hormone that helps control sleep. It may be a safer choice, but researchers still need to study its long-term effects more carefully.
The study shows how important it is to get medical advice that fits each person’s needs. Doctors should think carefully about prescribing sleep medications, especially for older adults who may be at greater risk of dementia.
This research was led by Yue Leng and published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. It reminds us that even things that seem helpful—like sleep medications—can have serious long-term effects.
In summary, while sleep medications can help in the short term, they may raise the risk of dementia over time. This is especially true for older white adults. People and doctors should look at other sleep treatments that are safer and support long-term brain health.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about Dizziness upon standing may be linked to dementia risk and findings of Scientists find the ties between high blood pressure and dementia.
For more about dementia, please read studies about Early heart rhythm problem linked to higher dementia risk and findings of Green leafy vegetables may help reduce Alzheimer’s risk.
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