Insomnia in the elderly: treatment with flurazepam hydrochloride.

Under sleep-laboratory control, the efficacy of flurazepam hydrochloride (15 mg) was evaluated in 6 women (age range, 67-82 years) with objectively verified insomnia. A 15-night, single-blind, crossover procedure was followed. Sleep records obtained during 3 placebo-baseline nights, 7 consecutive flurazepam nights, and 3 placebo-withdrawal nights were evaluated by means of electroencephalographic, electro-oculographic, and electromyographic criteria. A statistically significant reduction in sleep latency and total awake time and a corresponding increase in total sleep time (P less than 0.05) were demonstrated during the active drug period. No evidence of diminishing effectiveness was observed during the 7 days of drug administration. For the rapid-eye-movement (REM) stage, a significant decrease (P less than 0.05) in mean REM percent was noted during the drug period despite an increase in mean absolute REM time. No REM rebound occurred upon drug withdrawal. There were no significant changes in mean percentages for stages 3 and 4 during the drug period and the withdrawal period. Adverse reactions were rare (chiefly some daytime drowsiness in 2 subjects).

The Skylab sleep monitoring experiment: methodology and initial results.

The sleep monitoring experiment permitted an objective evaluation of sleep characteristics during the first two manned Skylab flights. Hardware located onboard the spacecraft accomplished data acquisition, analysis, and preservation, thereby permitting near-real-time evaluation of sleep during the flights and more detailed postmission analysis. The crewman studied during the 28-Day Mission showed some decrease in total sleep time an increase in the percentage of Stage 4 sleep, while the subject in the 59-Day Mission exhibited little change in total sleep time and a small decrease in Stage 4 and REM sleep. Some disruption of sleep characteristics was seen in the final days of both missions, and both subjects exhibited decreases in REM-onset latency in the immediate postflight period. The relatively minor changes seen were not of the type nor magnitude which might be expected to be associated with significant degradation of performance capability.