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Police in Colorado Springs and across the state are seeing a huge increase in impaired drivers, not from alcohol, but from sleeping pills.
There are no statistics available, because police keep records of drug categories, not individual substances. Sleeping aids fall under "central nervous system depressants," that's the same category as alcohol impairment, and the charges and penalties are the same.
"It is every bit as dangerous as drinking and driving," said Detective Craig Simpson with CSPD. He says sleeping pills and alcohol have the same effects on drivers.
"This has become a much larger problem than it ever has been, with the prevalence of the prescriptions out there," he said.
Roadside sobriety tests allow officers to tell the difference between sleepiness and sleeping pills. The main difference from alcohol impairment is the time of day it typically occurs. "We're seeing it a lot during the morning hours, the morning commutes, a lot of the wrecks that we see during those hours can be attributed to the sleep aids," said Simpson.
"They'll try to sleep, and then they'll wait till two in the morning. By then they have to get up at six o'clock. Its not gonna work. And they are very much impaired," said Deb Galetta, a Registered Nurse with the Visiting Nurses Association.
While drug labels warn patients to get a full eight hours of sleep, she says many people either don't read their labels or don't believe them.
"People go, 'oh, that's not true'," she said.
But she says the drugs can make it difficult to perform tasks more simple than driving.
"If you're not fully cognizant, you can stick your hand in a blender and forget that its on," she said. "I only bring that up because I've seen it happen."
And while prescription drugs are stronger, over-the-counter medicines can have the same impact on alertness and reaction time. So if you can't give yourself at least eight hours, you need to find other ways to get some shut-eye.
Experts say, some time-honored home remedies are worth a try. Warm milk contains the sleep-inducing chemical tryptophan. Meditation, aroma therapy, and a nightly ritual can also do the trick. If not, see your doctor.
