AOL: …Some of these aids succeed in knocking you out by depressing the central nervous system function. Others like the antihistamines increase drowsiness. There’s a newer drug class of “Orexin receptor antagonists” which block a brain chemical which keeps you aware and wakeful. Each of these drugs are great for knocking a human out, but being unconscious isn’t SLEEP.
Professor Matthew Walker from University of California Berkeley told Probably Science if you want to “lose consciousness” these drugs are fine, but it’s not natural sleep; it’s simulated sleep. Drugs alter the “sleep structure” or natural patterns and rhythms of sleep. When you’re sleeping, your brain is active, organizing your day, making dreams and cleaning itself. Most of the newest drugs will allow the brain into REM sleep, but they DON’T allow the brain to go through the full natural sleep process, which means the brain doesn’t have a chance to clean up and process memories from the day before, cementing them for future reference
According to the National Institutes of Health, you should never take sleep aids more than three times in a week, and make sure you address any other mental health issues like anxiety or depression before taking a sleep aid. The problem is many sleep aids are habit forming, and accidental overdoses are possible, though they’re usually not lethal… (more)
