A recent study found those who took sleeping tablets were 36 percent more likely to die at any given time than others.

In the study American researchers focused on a brain enzyme called calcium kinase, which controls sleep in humans, said researcher Fiona Macrae, Daily Mail reported.

In an experiment conducted by the researchers, a drug was given to mice that stopped the enzyme to work in the brain and making the animal sleep more.

Encoruragingly, the doses used were minimal, a study in the Journal of Neuroscience reported.

`Sleep, one of the most mysterious regular shifts in consciousness, is regulated by a delicate balance between biological processes, the environment and behaviour, but the mechanisms involved in the regulation are not well understood,` said Subimal Datta, researcher, Boston University.

`Current treatments for sleep disorders do not achieve the ideal behavioural outcome, and are usually accompanied by many undesirable side effects,` he said.

`A more specific, fine-tuned approach to treating these disorders by promoting alertness and treating insomnia would greatly benefit public health,` he added.

Lack of sleep is linked to a host of health problems, from heart disease and memory loss to diabetes.

Source: IANS
Image: Flickr/creativecommons brainsthehead