Sleeping pills no help for insomnia
“[Hypnotic drugs] remediates the problem in the short-term but it almost always produces a long-term consequence, which is drug dependence." Image: BrianAJackson/iStockphoto Sleeping tablets are “counter-productive” and offer no real benefit in treating insomnia, Flinders University sleep expert Leon Lack says.“Most people who take hypnotic drugs still have poor sleep, it remediates the problem in the short-term but it almost always produces a long-term consequence, which is drug dependence,” Professor Lack, pictured wearing Re-timer glasses, says.“Sleeping tablets provide short-term relief but when people stop taking them they might have a few bad nights and think they can’t sleep without taking the drug,” he says.“Effectively you buy a bit of sleep on your credit card but then you have to pay it back later, sometimes with interest, so in the long-term you don’t gain anything you just offset the insomnia.”Professor Lack, based in the School of Psychology, will share his research into insomnia,...