Sleep Aids (drugs: The Straight Facts)

DRUGS The Straight Facts Sleep Aids DRUGS The Straight Facts Alcohol Antidepressants Body Enhancement Products Cocaine Date Rape Drugs Designer Drugs Diet Pills Ecstasy Hallucinogens Heroin Inhalants Marijuana Nicotine Prescription Pain Relievers Ritalin and Other Methylphenidate-Containing Drugs Sleep Aids DRUGS The Straight Facts Sleep Aids M. Foster Olive Consulting Editor David J. Triggle University Professor School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences State University of New York at Buffalo CHELSEA HOUSE PUBLISHERS VP, NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Sally Cheney DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Kim Shinners CREATIVE MANAGER Takeshi Takahashi MANUFACTURING MANAGER Diann Grasse Staff for SLEEP AIDS SENIOR EDITOR Melissa Williams ASSOCIATE EDITOR Beth Reger PRODUCTION EDITOR Bonnie Cohen PHOTO EDITOR Sarah Bloom SERIES & COVER DESIGNER Terry Mallon LAYOUT 21st Century Publishing and Communications, Inc. ©2006 by Chelsea House Publishers, a subsidiary of Haights Cross Communications. All rights reserved. Printed and bound in the United States of America. http://www.chelseahouse.com First Printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Olive, M. Foster. Sleep aids/M. Foster Olive. p. cm.—(Drugs, the straight facts) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7910-8200-8 1. Hypnotics. 2. Sleep. I. Title. II. Series. RM325.O45 2006 615'.782—dc22 2005016612 All links and web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at the time of publication. Because of the dynamic nature of the web, some addresses and links may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. Table of Contents The Use and Abuse of Drugs David J. Triggle, Ph.D. 1. What Is This Thing We Call “Sleep?” 6 8 2. Sleep Disorders 23 3. Over-the-Counter Sleep Aids 45 4. Melatonin 52 5. Over-the-Counter Stimulants 61 6. Prescription Sleep Aids and Stimulants 74 7. Other Drugs and Medications 85 Appendix 91 Glossary 92 Notes 95 Bibliography 96 Further Reading and Websites 98 Index 99 The Use and Abuse of Drugs The issues associated with drug use and abuse in contemporary society are vexing subjects, fraught with political agendas and ideals that often obscure essential information that teens need to know to have intelligent discussions about how to best deal with the problems associated with drug use and abuse. Drugs: The Straight Facts aims to provide this essential information through straightforward explanations of how an individual drug or group of drugs works in both therapeutic and non-therapeutic conditions; with historical information about the use and abuse of specific drugs; with discussion of drug policies in the United States; and with an ample list of further reading. From the start, the series uses the word “drug” to describe psychoactive substances that are used for medicinal or nonmedicinal purposes. Included in this broad category are substances that are legal or illegal. It is worth noting that humans have used many of these substances for hundreds, if not thousands of years. For example, traces of marijuana and cocaine have been found in Egyptian mummies; the use of peyote and Amanita fungi has long been a component of religious ceremonies worldwide; and alcohol production and consumption have been an integral part of many human cultures’ social and religious ceremonies. One can speculate about why early human societies chose to use such drugs. Perhaps, anything that could provide relief from the harshness of life—anything that could make the poor conditions and fatigue associated with hard work easier to bear—w