General overview on sleep medication

Abstract

There are many medications that cross the blood-brain barrier affecting the central nervous system and converting the normal patterns of sleep and wakefulness. Some drugs are used to treat special sleep disorders, but others can induce sleep disorders (e.g., periodic limb movements during sleep, restless leg syndrome, parasomnia, insomnia) or exacerbate them (e.g., obstructive or central sleep apnea). The most frequent classes of agents used in sleep medicine are benzodiazepines, nonbenzodiazepines receptor agonists, melatonin and melatonin receptor agonists, antiepileptic drugs, antidepressants, atypical antipsychotics, central stimulants and dopamine agonists.

Keywords

• sleep medication
• sleep quality
• sleep macrostructure
• rem and nrem sleep
• excessive daytime sleepiness
• benzodiazepines
• nonbenzodiazepines receptor agonists
• melatonin and melatonin receptor agonists
• antiepileptic drugs
• antidepressants
• atypical antipsychotics
• central stimulants
• dopamine agonists
• analgesics
• orexin antagonists
• insomnia
• parasomnia
• epilepsy
• restless leg syndrome
• periodic leg movements in sleep
• narcolepsy
• hypersomnia