Insomnia and The Stages of Sleep
Restful sleep follows certain regular patterns. In the simplest terms, insomnia is caused by your "awake chemicals" being more active than your "sleep chemicals." Awake chemicals include adrenaline and noradrenaline–that can keep you from relaxing and disturb your sleep.
Sleep chemicals include GABA–gamma-aminobutyric acid–one of the most important chemicals associated with sleep. LUNESTA is thought to interact with GABA receptors. It is thought that GABA receptors play a role in all stages of sleep.
There are usually five stages of sleep: stages 1-4 (non-REM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Most of the time (about 80%) is spent in non-REM sleep. Each sleep stage has a specific function. The complete sleep cycle takes about 90 minutes. In the early half of the night, you move from being awake to a light sleep, then on to deeper stages of sleep. These stages appear, go away, and then return, alternating with REM sleep.
The REM sleep stage
Most of your dreams occur during REM sleep, which is very different from the other stages of sleep. Sleep researchers first noticed it in 1953 as a unique pattern of brain waves. These brain waves were similar to those found in someone in a normal awake state. During REM sleep the body's voluntary muscles do not move, except for the muscles that control eye movements. You spend roughly 20% of the night in REM sleep.
Non-REM sleep stages
Non-REM sleep occupies roughly 75% to 80% of your total sleep. It is the first stage entered when you start to fall asleep. This part of sleep is made up of 4 stages.
Stage 1
- The state between being awake and falling asleep
- Light sleep begins
Stage 2
- Sleep begins to deepen
- Your mind becomes more disengaged from your surroundings
- Breathing and heart rate are regular
Stage 3 and 4
- Deepest and most restorative part of sleep
- Blood pressure lowers and breathing slows
- Muscles grow more relaxed and blood flow to muscles increases
- Tissue growth and repair takes place
- Energy is restored and hormones needed by the body are released
†Maximum benefit is $50 off, on up to 12 prescription fills of LUNESTA. Not valid for patients participating in Medicare, Medicaid, government (public insurance) programs, or any private payor in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and where prohibited by law. Click here for offer details and terms and conditions.
Lunesta® (eszopiclone) is a prescription sleep medicine used in adults for the treatment of a sleep problem called insomnia. Symptoms of insomnia include trouble falling asleep and waking up often during the night.
LUNESTA acts quickly, so take it right before bed, and only if you have 8 hours to devote to sleep. Until you know how you will react to LUNESTA, you should not drive or operate machinery. Call your healthcare professional if your insomnia worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing your sleep problems. Walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. Other abnormal behaviors include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, and confusion. In depressed patients, worsening of depression including risk of suicide may occur. These risks may increase if you drink alcohol. Severe allergic reactions such as swelling of the tongue and throat occur rarely and may be fatal. Call your healthcare professional if you experience these or any effects or reactions that concern you. LUNESTA, like most sleep medicines, carries some risk of dependency. Side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, morning drowsiness, and dizziness. For more information, please see the LUNESTA Medication Guide.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
The health information contained herein is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace discussions with a healthcare provider. The products discussed herein may have different product labeling in different countries. All decisions regarding patient care must be made with a healthcare professional, considering the unique characteristics of the patient. Remember that no medicine is for everyone. Only your healthcare professional can prescribe LUNESTA for you.
This site is intended for U.S. residents 18 years of age or older.
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