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Pharmacist warns against taking sleeping pills before flights over health risks
Pharmacist Seema Khatri of Roseway Labs has cautioned travellers against taking sleeping pills before flights, citing risks including deep vein thrombosis, dehydration, and worsened jet lag. She recommends alternatives such as herbal teas, hydration, and eye masks, and advises seeking medical advice for sleep issues.
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Pharmacist warns against sleeping pills before flights
Travellers who reach for a sleeping pill to ease a stressful flight may be doing themselves more harm than good, according to pharmacist Seema Khatri from Roseway Labs. In advice reported by multiple outlets, Khatri cautioned against the common habit of taking sedatives before flying, warning that drug-induced sleep is not the same as natural, restorative sleep and can leave passengers groggier and more jet-lagged.
"People imagine that taking a sleeping pill means they'll wake up refreshed at their destination," Khatri said. "But drug-induced sleep is not the same as natural, restorative sleep, and on a plane it can actually leave you groggier and more jet-lagged."
Health risks at altitude
Khatri highlighted several specific risks associated with taking sleeping pills on flights. One of her primary concerns is circulation. "When you're sedated you move far less, and that immobility can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis," she explained. "Cabins are already dehydrating environments, and sedatives can thicken the blood further, so the two combined aren't a good mix."
The effects of cabin pressure can also amplify the impact of sleeping tablets. At increased altitudes, oxygen levels decline, and Khatri said sedatives may worsen drowsiness, disorientation, or even respiratory issues. "So what might feel like a mild dose on the ground can hit much harder once you're in the air," she highlighted.
Taking sleeping pills at the wrong time can also disrupt the body's internal clock. "If you take at the wrong time, your body clock becomes even more confused," Khatri said. "Instead of easing into the new time zone, you land disoriented and wired."
Who should avoid sedatives
Khatri advised that older travellers, people with breathing conditions such as asthma or sleep apnoea, and anyone with circulation problems should steer clear of sedatives on planes. She noted that even a small dose could pose significant risks for these groups.
Alternative ways to rest
For those seeking rest during a flight, Khatri recommended several non-medicinal alternatives. She suggested herbal teas like chamomile or lemon balm, staying well hydrated, wearing an eye mask, and using noise-cancelling headphones. She also recommended avoiding caffeine before departure. In some reports, she additionally mentioned magnesium glycinate to calm the nervous system.
"These options won't put you into an unnatural sleep cycle, so you arrive fresher and safer," she said.
Khatri advised anyone experiencing sleep problems to consult a medical professional, such as a GP, for guidance rather than relying on sedatives while travelling.
How each outlet told it
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Framing: Advises travellers never to take a common pill before a flight
Facts Included:
Pharmacist Seema Khatri, from Roseway Labs, which has over 2,000 followers on Instagram, cautioned against taking sleeping pills before flights.
Seema Khatri said: "People imagine that taking a sleeping pill means they'll wake up refreshed at their destination. But drug-induced sleep is not the same as natural, restorative sleep, and on a plane it can actually leave you groggier and more jet-lagged."
The expert highlighted that sedated immobility can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis.
The expert noted that cabins are dehydrating environments and sedatives can thicken the blood further.
Seema highlighted that sedatives may worsen drowsiness, disorientation, or respiratory issues at altitude.
Seema explained that taking sleeping pills at the wrong time can confuse the body clock, leading to landing disoriented and wired.
Seema advised that older travellers, people with breathing conditions like asthma or sleep apnoea, and anyone with circulation problems should avoid sedatives on planes.
The article suggested herbal teas like chamomile or lemon balm as alternatives.
Seema recommended staying hydrated and avoiding caffeine before departure.
Seema said: "These options won't put you into an unnatural sleep cycle, so you arrive fresher and safer."
Seema continued: "A sleeping pill before take-off may knock you out, but it won't give your body the restorative rest it really needs."
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Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimPharmacist Seema Khatri from Roseway Labs cautioned against taking sleeping pills before flights.
ClaimSeema Khatri said that cabins are already dehydrating environments and sedatives can thicken the blood further, so the two combined are not a good mix.
ClaimSeema Khatri said that cabin pressure can dramatically amplify the impact of sleeping tablets, and at increased altitudes, oxygen levels decline and sedatives may worsen drowsiness, disorientation, or respiratory issues.
ClaimSeema Khatri said that older travellers, people with breathing conditions like asthma or sleep apnoea, and anyone with circulation problems should avoid sedatives on planes.