The Insomnia Blog - Sleep Doctor Michael Breus, PhD

Can You OD on Sleeping Pills?

The news of actor Heath Ledger's death this past week is an incredibly sad story, especially given the news that he had a troubled sleep life and seemingly fought hard to overcome his problems. When the news reported that the sleeping pill Lunesta was found in his apartment, my hope was that people didn’t automatically assume he yanked the rug out from under himself by downing a litany of Lunesta. Apparently, other meds were in the mix, and it will take time for the toxicology report to (hopefully) pinpoint exactly what took his life.

I hear echoes of the Anna Nicole Smith case, who died last year of “combined drug intoxication” with the sleeping medication chloral hydrate, which was found in her system, being the “major component.” (No illegal drugs were found in her body.) Chloral hydrate is of the old-fashioned kind of sleeping pills; it’s a strong sedative—the same one speculated to be responsible (potentially) for Marilyn Monroe’s premature death. Granted, I don’t think it was ever determined exactly what killed Marilyn.

With today’s new class of sleeping pills it’s highly unlikely that you can overdose to the point that you kill yourself (there is one paper showing someone took 180 10mg tabs of Ambien and woke up 4 days later, no problems).

Get Real: College Isn’t for Sleeping Sissies

If you had to take a test after getting a really bad night’s sleep, what do you think the chances are of acing it? Okay, so maybe you’re able to put yourself together for the hour or so (thank heavens for that adrenaline brought on by your anxiety) that you need to wrack your brain. But then you have another test to take soon thereafter, and then there’s the next day, and the day after that…

The Arizona Daily Star recently published an article sharing how detrimental poor sleep habits are having on students living on campus at the University of Arizona. (Which assumes the study can relate to any college student on any campus.) Not only does a lack of good sleep cut into one’s grades, but it’s so severe that many students would qualify for a clinical sleep disorder diagnosis.

Warning: These Potato Chips Contain Caffeine

Bottoms up: you never know where you’ll be able to get your next caffeine fix. Forget about designer coffee and helping the flailing Starbucks chain spring back to life (just last week articles and postings for the Wall Street Journal commented on whether or not its founding father Howard Schultz could be its saving grace). Schultz has more competition today than just fellow coffee shops selling overpriced lattes. He may be banking on America’s continual need for caffeinated beverages morning, noon, and night… but now it’s not just about coffee. Nor is it about tea and dark chocolate.

It’s about potato chips, lip balm, mints, sunflower seeds, and soap.

Wake Up and Smell the Sugar Pill—or Don’t and Let It Work!

Millions of people have used Benedryl to lull themselves to sleep. The medication, whose main ingredient is the antihistamine Diphenhydramine, has long been reported to help people fall asleep. Well, here’s a little secret that millions probably don’t realize: it works by virtue of its placebo effect. That’s right: it’s all in your head so to speak.

I got a little riled up the other day when I read a posting online at the Consumerist about the fact 48 percent of doctors admit to prescribing placebos just to “shut you up.”  The University of Chicago came out with that figure, and the original article appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times. (Just then, I pictured a screaming mad patient with the common cold, which is caused by a virus, begging the doctor to write a prescription for antibiotics.)  Placebos, according to the article, included “vitamins, herbal supplements, saline infusions, dummy pills and doses of medicine too low to be effective.”

Well, as was the case for the man outraged at getting a placebo, he went in to his doctor’s office complaining of poor sleep and walked out with a prescription for the over-the-counter med Benedryl. (He didn’t, however, share with the doctor that he’d tried Benedryl in the past to no avail. He didn’t realize his prescription was actually for Benedryl until the pharmacist pointed in out.)

Listen up, folks: Benadryl, at least in my circle, is a placebo.

The guy is right in his frustrations. But the comments other people made back at him are wrong! (If you go to the site, you’ll find lots of people barking back telling the man that Benedryl is a mild sedative and is found in sleep aids.) I’m tempted to join the foray and dispel all the garbage people are posting now in defense of the Benedryl prescription. Take note: There is absolutely no clinical data to suggest that Benedryl or its active ingredients will have you fall asleep or stay asleep any longer than a sugar pill.  And to add insult to injury, the half life of this medication means you could wake up feeling a big “hung over,” as it has similar effects to alcohol.

The lesson? If Benedryl helps you fall asleep, stick to your story (for the placebo effect!) but don’t make it a habit and use it all the time. Go for establishing better sleep habits and speak openly with your doctor about things you’ve tried for better sleep. You may have a bond fide sleep disorder for which the bedtime bath and Benedryl won’t work. Period.