In his latest book, psychiatrist Patrick Lemoine curls sleeping pills, which he says aggravate the ailments they are supposed to cure.
On the contrary, the clinician praises plants, capable of allowing the body to fall asleep, as he explains in the program "Sans Rendez-vous" on Europe 1.
ANALYSIS
For him, it is a real "poison".
If the psychiatrist Patrick Lemoine is also vehement towards sleeping pills, it is because these drugs have, according to him, no virtue in the long term.
In his latest book,
Doctor, I have pain in my sleep
(Odile Jacob editions), the doctor in neurosciences shows that they do not provide the sleep promised to patients suffering from insomnia.
Their use would therefore be counterproductive, unlike certain plants, which find favor with his clinician eyes.
A sleeping pill does not bring "real sleep"
Patrick Lemoine is even categorical: "There is no such thing as sleeping pills. The word 'sleeping pills' is an intellectual swindle, an abuse of language. Me, if I register someone who has taken a 'sleeping pill', he won't. not sleeping. It's a light anesthesia, nothing more. It's not real sleep. "
And this is precisely the reason why "people who supposedly sleep on sleeping pills are tired," he argues.
A real problem, while sales of sleeping pills "have increased by a third" for a year, says the specialist.
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In addition, "it is shown that after three weeks, the sleeping pill no longer even causes this loss of consciousness, this anesthesia", continues the doctor in neuroscience.
"It doesn't work anymore, but people say 'yes, I assure you, I sleep well, I've been sleeping for years'. Me, I record them and I tell them 'no, you don't sleep'."
"Amnesia from insomnia"
How to explain this discrepancy between the feeling and the real impact of the drug?
"The soporific sedative effect of the sleeping pill wears off in 2 or 3 weeks. But the amnesic effect never wears off. It makes us forget that we are not sleeping. It is an amnesia of insomnia."
And the benefit / risk balance of the sleeping pill deteriorates even when we consider their effects over the long term: "There are studies which show that mortality increases markedly if you take it. It causes a lot of sleep apnea, therefore hypertension, therefore heart attacks and strokes or Alzheimer's, if we do not die. "
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With extended-release melatonin, there are very few drug interactions
"
The psychiatrist prefers to prescribe "prolonged-release melatonin" to insomniacs.
"It will cover all night and helps a lot. There are hardly any contraindications. And unless you pick it up at 5 in the morning and hit the road right after, it's virtually safe and it there are very few drug interactions, "explains Patrick Lemoine.
In a more natural way, certain plants have real soothing virtues and can therefore be allies to fall asleep more easily.
This is particularly the case of chamomile and lime, even if there is "no scientific demonstration" for the latter.
"On the other hand, there are plants like valerian, California poppy or passionflower for which there are very well-done studies, in particular valerian and passionflower. So much so that passionflower has an authorization to put on the European market (AMM). "
The usefulness of zinc
Patrick Lemoine also recommends "rhodiola, a tranquilizer during the day, but which allows you to prepare your night" a few hours earlier.
"If you have depressive insomnia, the combination of saffron and rhodiola" is welcome, with "scientific demonstrations" to support this effect.
"There was a study done by the CNRS that compared Prozac and St. John's Wort. St. John's Wort won," in terms of fighting depression.
Finally, let us mention the contribution of zinc, which can also allow you to sleep better, according to the psychiatrist.
"In addition, it is also good against Covid since it is also immuno-stimulating. Studies show that in case of zinc deficiency, we sleep less well and that in case of zinc supplementation, we sleep better ", he concludes.