Paracetamol works wonders for headaches, but some now also think it helps you fall asleep faster. Is that really the case?
Paracetamol before bedtime
To be able to give an answer right away: the medicine does not help you sleep better. Several researchers and professors say that this idea has not been proven and that we must quickly get rid of this idea. Then why doesn’t it work? The pill does not contain a sleeping pill and does not make you tired, and it can also be dangerous to use the painkiller as a sleeping pill. For example, if you have back problems, taking paracetamol to sleep may be a different story. If you cannot sleep due to pain, it is better to combat the pain by taking a painkiller before going to sleep. But using a painkiller just to sleep better can be very dangerous.
Daily painkillers
Why is it very dangerous to use a painkiller to sleep better or faster? Well, if you take too many painkillers or for too long, you can suffer liver damage. Other medications can also often contain paracetamol, and you can ingest it unnoticed if you are prescribed other medication. You therefore consume more than you think, but do you suffer from serious sleeping problems? Always consult a doctor and discuss the options for sleep medication.
Placebo?
So if it doesn’t work and it’s actually not good for you at all, why do some people feel like it gives them a better night’s sleep? That’s difficult to say, but a big possibility is the placebo effect. At the end of 2021, the scientific journal International Journal of Pharmacy Practice published a large overview study in which various studies on the use and effect of paracetamol and sleep were compared. In half of the studies, the researchers saw that the painkiller has no impact on sleep, or even a negative impact. In the other half they saw that people were able to sleep better. How is that possible? According to researchers, this may involve the placebo effect: if you believe something works, it often works. If you believe that paracetamol can help you sleep better, deeper and longer, you will fall asleep better and deeper, and you will also sleep longer. But this has not been scientifically proven, so we leave the statement as a fable.
