Sleep Medications Are More Harmful Than You Think

By Aanvi Trivedi

Sleep medication is said to be a vital tool for those with specific conditions such as insomnia. More commonly, it’s used by people who simply have trouble sleeping. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, 8.4% of adults use sleep medication to help them sleep as of 2020. Further studies have shown that number only increased after the start of COVID-19, especially in children. USA Today reports that at least 28% of teens ages 13-18 have used some form of sleep medication to aid them in sleeping. With new and improved sleep medications coming out rapidly, one can infer that the number will only increase yearly. To most people, these statistics might seem high yet inconsequential. However, the notes of caution from medical professionals around the world say otherwise. Most professionals agree that regularly taking sleep medication can be dangerous and, in many cases - deadly. These concerns were only multiped with new evidence of mislabeled sleep medications containing potentially hazardous quantities of CBD and melatonin. After being released on April 27th, 2023, this newfound research by JAMA has taken to widespread panic for both medical professionals and parents everywhere.

CBD and cannabinol (CBN) are part of a broad group of over 100 chemicals known as cannabinoids. The popular and addictive chemical known as THC is the most prevalent in this group, of which CBD and CBN are milder and less addictive versions. Although CBD and CBN can incur similar effects as THC, including muscle relaxation, they are not as addictive and psychedelic. In fact, in a regulated quantity, they have even been shown to help with sleep. However, those chemicals can prove extremely dangerous in an unregulated amount, such as the amounts found in sleep medication. About a year ago, a study conducted by Leafport demonstrated similar results to the one released by JAMA, and it is evident that the issue has only gotten worse. In fact, according to Forbes Magazine, in 2022, CBD and CBN were over 10% more potent in over half of the sleep medications tested by Leafreport. They also found that sleep medication products that were said to contain two of the three chemicals (CBD, CBN, and melatonin) were reportedly less accurate than those that included all three or only one of the chemicals. Only 29% of the medication with two out of three chemicals matched the label, in contrast to 55.6% that matched the medications containing all three. The percentage of mislabeled drugs also varied by the medium in which consumers ingested the sleep medication. For example, only 30% of tinctures matched their labels, while 40% of sleep medication gummies matched. In the study presented by JAMA this year, scientists discovered that one sleep medication product had 300% more melatonin than stated on the label, and 88% of the tested sleep medication was proven not to match its label. This sudden increase in data presents a trend of more mislabeled sleep medication products - indicating that this is a critical issue that pharmaceutical companies need to address immediately.

The effect of these mislabeled sleep medication products proves to be a real topic of concern, especially when dealing with its impact on growing adolescents. The number of children taking melatonin increased following the start of Covid-19, similar to the rise in sleep medication for adults. In fact, according to the CDC, in 2022, there was a 530% increase in children taking sleep medication between 2012 and 2022. Accordingly, there was an increased number of calls to the United States Poison Control Centers for dangerously high melatonin indigestion among young people during the same period. Additionally, according to the research conducted by JAMA, these numbers correlated with 27,795 visits to emergency rooms, 4,097 hospitalizations, and even two deaths. Even with all of this information, the rise of sleep medication is such a novel issue that it is hard to predict how this mislabeling will impact adolescents in the future, or even how it is affecting them right now. However, what is known is that CBD, CBN, and similar chemicals are dangerous. The Food And Drug Administration even made it illegal to market CBD by adding it to food or as a dietary supplement. Even so, mass-market sleep medications still contain them, making them a potential threat because of their high dosage and mass appeal.

Many argue that people with certain conditions require sleep medication to help them fall asleep. However, those who genuinely need medication due to a situation will have already had their primary care physician prescribe a specific, trusted medication. For those who do not have a particular medical condition, studies have shown that sleep medication has little to no effect on helping one fall asleep, especially in the case of adolescents. The American Academy of Sleep Medication urged parents not to give their healthy children sleep medication, as it does not positively affect them. Dr. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor of medicine at Cambridge Health, says, “The FDA does not test products to ensure that they are accurately labeled.” While Cohen’s statement does raise some red flags about FDA inaction, his warning is clear: the mislabeling of sleep medications will only compound the threat faced by young Americans.

Works Cited

Cohen, Pieter A., et al. “Quantity of Melatonin and CBD in Melatonin Gummies Sold in the US.” JAMA Network, 25 Apr. 2023, jamanetwork.com/ journals/jama/article-abstract/2804077. Accessed 11 May 2023.

Haller, Sonja. “Alarming number of teens are using sleep aids, doctors warn of potentially risky results.” USA Today, 31 Oct. 2018, www.usatoday. com/story/life/allthemoms/2018/10/31/alarmingnumber-teens-use-sleep-aids-potentially-riskyresults/1743884002/. Accessed 14 May 2023.

Herrington, A.J. “Study Shows Most CBD Sleep Aids Are Mislabeled.” Forbes, 27 Apr. 2022, www.forbes.com/sites/ajherrington/2022/04/27/ study-shows-most-cbd-sleep-aids-are-mislabeled/?sh=142e38b35ef6. Accessed 14 May 2023.

Kato, Brooke. “Sleep aid gummies contain way more melatonin, CBD than advertised: study.” New York Post, 25 Apr. 2023, nypost. com/2023/04/25/sleep-aid-gummies-containway-more-melatonin-cbd-than-advertisedstudy/. Accessed 11 May 2023.

LaMotte, Sandee. “Potentially dangerous doses of melatonin and CBD found in gummies sold for sleep.” CNN, 25 Apr. 2023, www.cnn. com/2023/04/25/health/melatonin-gummies-wellness/index.html. Accessed 12 May 2023.