British singer-song writer, Sarah Harding who is best known for being a member of Girls Aloud, admitted to having battled an addiction to sleeping pills over the last four years. With an addiction to sleeping pills being more and more common nowadays, arguably more so in famous personalities, what are the dangers of an addiction to it or just by taking it?

Harding said that aside from checking into rehab for her alcohol problem, she spent three weeks in intensive therapy to stop her addiction to Zopiclone, which she used to help her sleep. Sleeping pills in itself does present side effects, but aside from those dangers, there is also the possibility of getting addicted to it.

Sleeping pills, which are basically used to induce or maintain sleep on those who have trouble sleeping, is often prescribed to be used over a period of time. However, these sorts of pills are potentially addictive and by just simply taking them can start on the dangerous habit.

An addiction to sleeping pills has a number of symptoms, according to RightDiagnosis.com. Some of the symptoms of having an addiction to it include cravings, obsession and secrecy over them; excessive money spent on obtaining them; loss of appetite and weight loss; nausea, headaches, paranoia, anxiety, and mood swings.

But even if a person does not get addicted to them, there are still the side effects to contend with. WebMD.com reported that some of the side effects of sleeping pills are: burning sensation in the hands, arms, feet, or legs, changes in appetite, constipation, diarrhea, imbalance, dizziness, head and stomach aches, and uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body.

It is also worth mentioning that, just like the case of Harding, mixing alcohol and sleeping pills is highly ill-advised. This is because the combination of the two increases the sedative effect of the pills, and in this equation, the results can be fatal. In addition to alcohol, another bad combination with the pills is grapefruit as consumption of the fruit allows for an increased amount of drug being absorbed, possibly leading to over sedation.

But with all of these dangers, the fact of the matter is sleeping pills are not bad at all. In fact, they have some benefits with them, such as improved muscle rebuilding, stamina and endurance, greater mental processing and increased productivity. The thing that should be remembered with sleeping pills though is to be guided by the doctor's prescription and to seek counseling if ever one does feel something foreign.