Short sleep, physiological effects

Under some conditions, feelings of sleepiness may be great and protocols that must be run when subjects are extremely sleepy encounter the problem of floor effects. For example, physiological sleepiness may be so great because of a drag effect that sleep latencies are too short to be above statistical noise. In these circumstances, it is difficult to detect subjects with abnormal sleepiness or to detect the effect of any remedial intervention. 

Flunitrazepam is a potent hypnotic benzodiazepine potentially of use both as a hypnotic and for induction of anaesthesia. The principal side effects reported so far are drowsiness in waking, and dysmnesia affecting short-term memory. It has powerful effects on sleep EEG recordings and the sleep induced, and the authors state that flunitrazepam does not induce physiological sleep (22 ). An effect on memory was regularly noted when flunitrazepam was used for anaesthesia (45 ). The role of this compound has yet to be determined. 

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