Psy/285 Sleeping Aid Paper

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Experimental Research PSY/285 February 17, 2013 Experimental Research Pharmaceutical Research: Sleeping Aids There are many different kinds of sleeping aids that can help someone fall asleep today. Insomnia is when a person has a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, or a disturbance in the quality of sleep a person gets that will make them feel they are not well rested when they do wake. Insomnia is more common today then we think, about 10% of adults suffer from severe insomnia. Lack of sleep may cause someone to have no motivation, mood swings, and not be able to function to their full potential. Insomnia has also been known to cause depression, anxiety, and stress, which in turn can cause other health problems.…show more content…
Researchers gather pertinent information regarding sleep history, medical history, and physical assessments on participants is important. More extensive tests may be conducted, such as a Polysomnography. This is when people stay overnight in a facility under the care of professionals and have their muscle activity, heart rates, breathing patterns, eye movements oxygen levels, and unusual movements monitored (Dogrhamji,2008). These results are then measured and this gives the researchers the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the sleep-aid. The evaluation can show if a person went to sleep more quickly, and slept more comfortably as usual and woke with no drowsiness. Another area monitored is if they were able to stay alert throughout the following day, then at this point the medication would then made available to the public. If the participant showed signs of having trouble falling asleep after the normal allotted time for the sleep aid to take affect or had a restless night and felt as if they did not sleep the next day, then further studies need performed and changes made to the medication. There are two ways of getting a sleep aid, as an over the counter (OTC) which is a safer option if it is to be used for a short period, and by a doctor’s prescription, which the end results could be habit forming drug. Many companies recommend that people use prescribed
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