What are the differences in safety between traditional sleeping pills and new-generation sleeping aids such as Suvorexant?

18 Tháng 3, 2025

1. Are you still relying on traditional sleeping pills? Beware of long-term side effects!

Many insomnia patients habitually rely on traditional sleeping pills (such as diazepam and zopiclone), but long-term use may lead to a series of problems, such as addiction, morning sleepiness, cognitive decline, and even increased risk of Alzheimer's disease . In contrast, the new generation of sleeping pills (such as suvorexant, lebrexant, and darilexant) help with sleep in a gentler way that is more in line with the body's natural rhythm, avoiding the side effects of traditional sleeping pills.

📌 Common problems with traditional sleeping pills :

❌ Easy to become addictive, long-term use requires increasing dosage - benzodiazepines forcibly calm the brain, and long-term use may lead to dependence and rebound insomnia after discontinuation of the drug ( Lader, 2011 ).

❌ Disrupting deep sleep and affecting sleep quality - Studies have found that benzodiazepines may reduce REM (rapid eye movement) sleep , affecting memory consolidation and emotion regulation ( Kuriyama & Endo, 2018 ).

❌ Feeling sleepy when waking up in the morning affects the daytime state - the half-life is long, resulting in residual effects during the daytime the next day, making people feel tired ( Billioti de Gage et al., 2014 ).

❌ Impaired cognitive function – Long-term use may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease ( Billioti de Gage et al., 2014 ).

So, how do the new generation of sleeping aids avoid these side effects while ensuring sleep effects?

2. Comparison of the mechanisms of action of the three major types of sleeping pills

There are three main types of sleeping pills on the market:

category	Representative drugs	Mechanism of action	Is it addictive?	Does it affect daytime status?	Does it affect deep sleep?
Benzodiazepines ( BZDs )	diazepam (valium), alprazolam	Enhances GABA receptor activity and inhibits brain activity	Easy to become addicted	Morning drowsiness and decreased concentration	May reduce REM sleep
Nonbenzodiazepines ( Z drugs)	Zopiclone, Zolpidem	Selectively acts on GABA receptors and has a short duration of action	May cause dependence	Some patients still experience morning drowsiness	The impact is small, but long-term use still has risks
Orexin receptor antagonists ( ORAs )	Suvoressen, Lebron, Dalierssen	Block wake-up signals and let the body fall asleep naturally	No dependency, can be used for a long time	Will not affect daytime status	Does not affect REM and deep sleep, improves sleep quality

📌 Research data supports :

• Among long-term users of benzodiazepines, 40% develop tolerance and 25% experience withdrawal symptoms ( Lader, 2011 ).

• New sleeping aids such as suvorexant do not affect deep sleep, and sleep quality can remain stable after discontinuation of the drug ( Sun et al., 2021 ).

• Elderly people who take benzodiazepines for a long time have a 50% increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease ( Billioti de Gage et al., 2014 ).

3. How do Suvorexant, Lebrexant, and Darilexant improve sleep?

The new generation of sleeping aids , orexin receptor antagonists ( ORAs ) , do not directly calm the brain, but instead reduce wakefulness signals, allowing the body to naturally fall asleep .

📌 Key differences between traditional sleeping pills and new generation sleep aids ( ORAs )

✅ Traditional sleeping pills ( GABA type) : forcefully calm the nerves , allowing people to fall asleep quickly, but affecting deep sleep and may cause dependence.

✅ New generation of sleeping aids ( ORAs ) : reduce wakefulness signals, allowing the brain to naturally enter a sleeping state , without affecting deep sleep and without being addictive.

There are three main types of ORAs for different types of insomnia :

drug	Main Function	Target Group	Mechanism of action
Suvorexant	Reduce nighttime awakenings and maintain stable sleep throughout the night	People who wake up easily at night and have sleep maintenance disorders	Acts on OX1R & OX2R to reduce wakefulness signals and help sleep more consistently.
Lemborexant	Speed up the time to fall asleep and reduce difficulty falling asleep	Anxiety-type insomnia, difficulty falling asleep	It mainly acts on OX2R , reduces wakefulness signals, and allows the brain to quickly enter a sleep state.
Daridorexant	Improve the proportion of deep sleep and reduce morning fatigue	Those who have light sleep and feel sleepy in the morning	It acts on OX1R & OX2R , optimizes sleep structure, increases the proportion of deep sleep, and makes you more energetic when you wake up in the morning.

📌 Research data supports :

• Lebroxan can shorten the time it takes to fall asleep by 52% and help people enter sleep mode quickly ( Ueno et al., 2022 ).

• Suvorexant can reduce the number of nighttime awakenings by 43% and improve sleep continuity throughout the night ( Herring et al., 2016 ).

• Dauvilliers can increase the proportion of deep sleep without affecting daytime wakefulness ( Dauvilliers et al., 2022 ).

4. Conclusion: Which sleeping pill is safer?

📌 Core summary :

• Although traditional sleeping pills (such as diazepam and zopiclone) can help with sleep in the short term, they may cause dependence, affect deep sleep, and easily lead to rebound insomnia after discontinuation of the drug ( Lader, 2011 ).

• Orexin receptor antagonists (such as suvorexant, leborexant, and darilexant) reduce wakefulness signals rather than forced sedation, allowing the brain to naturally fall asleep , which is safer and non-addictive ( Sun et al., 2021 ).

• Studies have shown that these new sleeping aids can be used for a long time and will not cause sleep rebound after discontinuation , making them a safer choice for sleeping aids ( Ueno et al., 2022 ).

📌 Recommended for symptoms :

✅ Difficulty falling asleep ➝ Lebron (helps you fall asleep quickly) .

✅ Waking up easily at night ➝ Suvorexant (reduces nighttime awakenings) .

✅ Light sleep, tiredness in the morning ➝ Dali Leisheng (increase the proportion of deep sleep) .

If you’re looking for a safer, non-addictive sleep aid, orexin receptor antagonists may be the way to go!

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