Sleeping aids
Also known as “nonbenzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics”, or Z drugs, these sleeping aids have been used to relieve the burden that is associated with insomnia and sleeping problems for years. They are effective, and they have also been used to treat mild forms of anxiety.
Since they are associated with benzodiazepines, despite being different at a molecular level, there has been a connection found between the side effects that they have, and since then, a lot more research has been done on them and the reactions they have in patients. They cause dependence on the medication, and people who have tried to stop taking them have experienced severe withdrawal symptoms.
The side effects include memory loss in seniors, sometimes even amnesia, along with the possibility of developing weird and even dangerous behaviors that the patient is not aware of: people have reported that they have driven a car or cooked without being able to remember ever doing this when they woke up!
The good news is that there are other types of sleeping aids that do not have these side effects, but you should make sure to talk with your primary care doctor about this and not attempt to go off the medication without supervision. Despite our desire to curb any memory loss in seniors, we should always respect the advice of a trained professional.
If you are worried that you may develop memory loss as a senior and you want to keep your brain active, here is one of the memory activity books we recommend!
