New Delhi: As many as one in three of us may be sleep deprived. So when you are unable to sleep, do you end up self-medicating?

The side effects of sleeping pills can range from drowsiness to headaches. And they can become easily habit forming.

So all sleep medications, even those available over the counter must be taken by prescription only.

“The side effects are in the form of being sleepy during the day, losing drive or memory loss. It can alter your personality and the promptness of your response. So for these reasons sleeping pills should not be used on a large scale,” says pulmonologist, Fortis, Dr R K Mani.

Long-term studies on the effects of sleeping pills do not show encouraging results. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in the US reports that they can even cause sleep driving in some individuals.

“It is the insomniacs who require sleeping pills. They too have to be careful while taking sleeping pills. Sleep apnea patients should not take sleeping pills,” says Dr Mani.

Experts say that shorter acting sleeping drugs or non-benzodiazepines should be preferred over the longer acting ones or benzodiazepines. But they are still not the safest bet in the long run.