psychology-health

There are different types of drugs for reducing, or inducing sleep. These drugs are known as hypnotic and antihypnotic drugs. “A third class of sleep-influencing drugs comprises those that influence circadian rhythms; the main drug of this class is melatonin“(Pinel, 2007, p.389).

Antihypnotic drugs are stimulants, but they can have unpleasant side effects, and are also addictive. Unless the drugs are taken at the prescribed time of the day, they can have adverse effects on the normal sleeping patterns, and render a program of medication useless, or even dangerous. In the past, I have taken antidepressants which have had the effect of keeping me awake, rather than helping me to achieve a calm feeling. This also increased the incidences of my panic attacks, and so my medication was reviewed and changed accordingly.

 Hypnotic drugs like valium can be useful for treating sleep disorders in the short term; however, the use of these drugs for severe sleeping issues is not recommended (Pinel, 2007, p.389). Like antihypnotic drugs, hypnotic drugs can be addictive, and will produce adverse side effects if usage is abruptly stopped.

Unlike hypnotic and antihypnotic drugs, melatonin is a synthetic drug derived from naturally occurring serotonin. Exogenous melatonin has proven to be beneficial with settling circadian rhythm cycles, and has been used by blind people whose concept of light and dark may be incorrect, as well as others whose bodies have a naturally occurring melatonin deficiency (Pinel, 2007, p.391).

There are different kinds of sleep disorders, and most people have suffered insomnia at one stage in their life. However, insomnia can become chronic, as can hypersomnia; an excessive sleep disorder.  Some people also suffer from sleep apnea, a condition which causes a person to stop breathing intermittently, and awake to catch their breath. Most people with sleep apnea do not realize they wake up, and fall back to sleep in a few seconds (Pinel, 2007, p.392). My husband has sleep apnea, and we have noticed that it has gotten worse since he has gained weight.

Hypnotic and antihypnotic drugs are useful in controlling sleeping disorders, but long term use is ill-advised. In the short term, inducing sleep can be beneficial, but larger doses will be needed to reproduce the same effects as time passes. In addition, the induced sleep is artificial, and people do not recall having dreams which occur during the REM sleep stage; in fact, some of the drugs are specifically designed to suppress the REM stage. People who take antidepressant medication also often report that they do not dream at all.

Reference

Pinel, J. P. J. (2007). Basics of biopsychology. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.