Abuse of anti-sleep medication and its mental health consequences.

During exam season, students wish they could stay up late studying without feeling sleepy. Therefore, some even use medications and patches to combat drowsiness.

These anti-sleepiness medications are easily found and purchased online, and contain ingredients such as ginseng, Acanthopanax, Schisandra, Centella asiatica, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, glutamine, trimethylxanthine, and vitamins B1 and B6… Some also include ginkgo biloba extract and magnesium lactate…

These drugs are advertised as helping to combat drowsiness and nervous tension, promoting alertness, mental clarity, and energy, reducing fatigue; enhancing physical strength and nerve cell activity; improving memory, concentration, and mental performance… Common users include students experiencing stress and fatigue during exam periods; people requiring mental focus and energy; and those working night shifts or staying up late: night security guards, drivers, etc.

It's worth noting that most of these advertisements only mention the benefits of the medication without mentioning any potential side effects. This leads many people to carelessly buy and use the medication without knowing that it could harm their health.

And the consequences…

Antisleepiness medications are essentially drugs that enhance alertness and suppress drowsiness, giving users a temporary state of alertness. However, the abuse of stimulants, patches, or medications to combat drowsiness can cause many cardiovascular problems, negatively impact health and mental well-being, and potentially disrupt the body's circadian rhythm. In the long term, it can lead to drug dependence, memory loss, and a loss of the desire to sleep.

Each person needs an average of 8 hours of sleep per day. Prolonged sleep deprivation leads to fatigue, muscle aches, sunken eyes, and blurred vision. Lack of sleep significantly reduces concentration and thinking ability; in more severe cases, it can cause tremors in the extremities, eventually leading to memory impairment, and even abnormal behavior and paranoia.

Therefore, suppressing sleep with medication or addictive stimulants is not beneficial for mental health. Even in situations where anti-sleep medication (nerve stimulants) is necessary, it must be taken only as prescribed by a psychiatrist.

According to Health & Life - nt