Scientists: avoiding sleeping pills will improve health and prolong life in the elderly

However, a new study by scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) has shown that avoiding such medications can significantly improve quality and length of life.

The study is published in The Lancet Regional Health - Americas under the title: Lifetime burden of prescription medication for insomnia in middle-aged and older adults in the US: a microsimulation study (2025).

Reducing prescribing of sleeping pills to patients over 50 years of age has the potential to:

• reduce the lifetime risk of falls by 8.5%;

• reduce the likelihood of cognitive impairment by 2.1%;

• increase life expectancy by an average of 1.3 months - which, on a US scale, is equivalent to 1.7 million years of life spent in good health.

The authors emphasise that the main gains are precisely in improved overall health and reduced dependence on medication.

According to the data, about 15.3 million Americans over the age of 50 take sleeping pills, including benzodiazepines and so-called Z-drugs such as Ambien. Such drugs are most common among women and white patients.

Although clinical guidelines do not recommend long-term use of sleeping pills, in practice doctors often prescribe them for months or even years. Many patients continue taking them not for the real effect, but to avoid withdrawal syndrome - which is often misinterpreted as a return of insomnia.

Sleep disorders are indeed dangerous: they increase the risk of depression, cardiovascular disease and dementia. However, long-term use of sleeping pills may be more damaging to the body than insomnia itself, according to a study.

The simulations were conducted using the Future Elderly Model, a microsimulation model developed at the Schaeffer Center for Research. The scientists compared the current state with a hypothetical scenario in which elderly people do not take sleeping pills at all. It turned out that people between the ages of 65 and 74 benefited the most from not taking them.

In addition to the health benefits, the researchers calculated the economic impact:

• savings of $6,600 per person per lifetime,

• and nationally, about $101bn, mainly due to reduced medical costs and improved quality of life.

Instead of sleeping pills, medical professionals are increasingly recommending cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). This is a method based on the development of healthy sleep habits, which can be applied face-to-face, online or via special apps. CPT-I is proven to be as effective as medication in the short term and significantly safer in the long term.

The researchers also suggest using e-health systems to remind doctors of the risks of sleeping pills, provide information on alternative methods and analyse individual prescribing patterns.

"Insomnia is a real problem for older adults, but sleeping pills are not the only or best option," study co-author Jason Doctor, a USC health care expert, emphasises. - "We can and should help physicians make choices in favour of safe, evidence-based methods."