THURSDAY, May 6, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- A new pill helps older insomniacs sleep longer and more soundly at night and cuts down on their daytime napping, new research has found.
The drug, called eszopiclone, is a derivative of an older medicine called zopiclone, said Dr. W. Vaughn McCall, chairman of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. He was to present the research May 6 at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in New York City.
Eszopiclone (brand name Estorra) has not yet been approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
McCall's research team assigned 264 insomniacs, aged 65 to 85, to a placebo group or a group receiving eszopiclone nightly for two weeks. They then measured the quality and quantity of their slumber in a sleep lab.
The drug group slept better and longer and napped less during the day, he said. "During the course of two weeks of treatment, the people who were on placebo were awake about 75 minutes per night [after having fallen asleep], and eszopiclone reduced that to about 63 minutes. It was a small but statistically significant difference."
Total sleep time improved, too. "In the placebo group, it was 350 minutes a night [or about 5.8 hours]. The drug-treated group got 25 more minutes a night on average," McCall said.
Those taking the sleeping pill also napped less during the day. "Of those who napped -- and that was about 50 percent of both groups -- those who were on placebo typically napped three times a week, and in those on eszopiclone it was reduced to two times a week," McCall said.
The newer drug is similar to Ambien (zolpidem) and Sonata (zaleplon), two commonly prescribed sleeping pills, said McCall, whose study was funded by Sepracor Inc., eszoplicone's maker. No sleeping pill is meant for long-term use, he warned. "Currently the FDA labeling requires that sleeping pills be prescribed not more than two to three weeks and then the patient is re-evaluated," he said.
"It sounds like a very good report," said William Wohlgemuth, a psychologist and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center. "As people get older, they have more difficulty maintaining sleep," he said. If the new sleeping pill helps them stay asleep and maintain daytime functioning without getting sleepy, "that's exactly what you want in a sleeping pill."
Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint at any age, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA). It's defined as taking a long time to fall asleep, such as more than 30 to 45 minutes, waking up many times during the night, waking up too early, and being unable to get back to sleep and waking up feeling tired.
Besides sleeping pills, other ways to coax sleep, according to the NIA, are to go to sleep and get up at the same time and to try not to nap during the day. Experts also advise those with insomnia to avoid caffeinated beverages late in the day and not to drink alcohol before bed, which can disrupt sleep.
Developing a daily bedtime routine, such as reading a book, soaking in a warm tub, or watching television, can also help.
More information
To learn more about a good night's sleep, visit the National Institute on Aging.
