Islamabad - Sleeping pills treble the risk of lung cancer, a new research says. The study warns that taking the drugs on a regular basis is linked to a higher rate of deadly tumours. Findings from nearly 30,000 people also revealed they raise the risk of cancerous growths in the mouth, nose and windpipe.
Sleeping pills taken by millions of people could treble the risk of developing lung cancer, a study found. Scientists said that the more sleep medication a person takes and the longer they are on them, the greater the danger. Those regularly using sleeping pills at least twice a week were nearly two-and-a-half times more likely to develop cancer of the airways than non-users. And in those using the drugs for three years or more the risk appeared to treble.
Benzodiazepines are tranquillisers that can reduce anxiety and promote calmness, relaxation and sleep. These medicines should only be considered if you have severe insomnia or it’s causing extreme distress.
Benzodiazepines will make you feel sleepy and can lead to dependency. Therefore, only short-acting benzodiazepines (with short-lasting effects) should be used to treat insomnia.
Temazepam is the benzodiazepine that’s often prescribed. Benzodiazepines can have many potential side effects.
In those using the drugs for three years or more the risk of cancerous growths in the mouth, nose and windpipe appeared to treble. Pictured is a human lung cancer cell under the microscope.
In those using the drugs for three years or more the risk of cancerous growths in the mouth, nose and windpipe appeared to treble. Pictured is a human lung cancer cell under the microscope. But when scientists looked at respiratory cancers - those affecting the airways - they found a worrying rise in risk. Sleeping pills have been linked to a higher number of infections which may allow cancer cells to flourish. The researchers stressed that the results may also have been affected by smoking rates.
Kids who lie have good memory skills
Scientists have found that kids who are good liars have better verbal memory skills. If your six-year-old is a seasoned little fibber, don’t fret - it probably means he or she is unusually bright.
Scientists have found the first clear evidence that children who are good liars have better verbal working memories.
Psychologist Elena Hoicka, a member of the team from the University of Sheffield, said: ‘While parents are usually not too proud when their kids lie, they can at least be pleased to discover that when their children are lying well, it means their children are becoming better at thinking and have good memory skills.’ The study involved a quiz in which 114 six and seven-year-old children were tempted to cheat by peaking at an answer written on the back of a card.
First the children were given two easy questions: ‘what noise does a dog make?’ and ‘what colour are bananas?’ They were then asked if they knew the name of the cartoon character Spaceboy. Each child was left alone with an upturned card on which the answer was written, and told not to peek.
The answer, Jim, was written on the back of the card in green ink with a picture of a monkey. Unknown to the children, they were being observed by a concealed video camera, so the scientists knew who had looked at the back of the card. Children who got the answer right, and claimed they had not cheated, were tested with ‘entrapment questions’ based on the written answer and accompanying picture.
The children were asked if they could guess the colour of the writing or what the picture showed. If they covered their tracks by pretending not to know, or deliberately guessing wrongly, they were classified as good liars.
Children who fell for one or both of the entrapment questions, revealing that they knew more than they should, were rated as poor fibbers.
The results showed that good liars performed better in verbal working memory tests assessing both mental processing and recall.