While most would not knowingly put their life on the line, you may be doing just that if you take sleeping pills... According to a study19 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), emergency room visits involving the sleep
aid zolpidem nearly doubled between 2005 and 2010, reaching 42,274 visits in the year 2009 - 2010.
Using two commonly prescribed sleep
aids —
zolpidem and sodium oxybate (Xyrem)-- Mednick, Kaestner and Wixted were able to tease apart the effects of sleep spindles and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep on the recall of emotional memories.