A study has discovered that elderly people who are prescribed the world's most commonly used sleeping medication are more likely to suffer from falls and injuries.

Researchers gave participants a dose of the drug zolpidem and woke them after two hours' sleep. The participants were asked to complete a 'tandem walk', which involved putting one foot in front of the other to make their way along a wooden beam resting on the floor that measured 16-feet long and six-inches wide.

The study, published in The Journal of the American Geriatric Society, found a link between use of the sleeping drug and a significant loss in balance, which could contribute to the falls experienced by a third of people aged above 65.

Kenneth Wright, lead study author, said: "The balance impairments of older adults taking zolpidem were clinically significant and the cognitive impairments were more than twice as large compared to the same older adults taking placebos. This suggests to us that sleep medication produces significant safety risks."

According to ScienceDaily, researchers also found that the use of zolpidem caused sleep inertia, also known as grogginess, which temporarily impairs working memory.

The results might pose concern to those in domiciliary care jobs, who could be administering the drug to patients and then leaving them without a carer at night time. Falls are a particular area of concern for the elderly, with half of over 80s suffering from falls. According to Age UK, it's thought that 14,000 people die from falls every year.

The research suggests that exploring alternatives to administering zolpidem could help reduce the risk of falls and save lives.