Anesthetics as a Sleeping Aid

Anesthetics have long been used as medication to treat sleep disorders for their soothing relaxing effects. Ever been under general anesthetic, then you would know how much anesthetics can induce sleep and the mount of anesthetic determines the time spent under. The actual dose and strength of the anesthetic used is a refined science (that’s why you end up paying for a separate anesthesiologist) that is based on body mass and weight to determine the exact amounts that are enough to induce a sleep like state and just enough so you don’t feel the pain. A type of anesthetic called ethyl carbamate or urethane, is showing promise in mice that have been observed to have the most similar brain waves as with a normally sleeping brain. The brainwaves of the mice were first observed when they slept naturally which was then used to compare the results of the anesthetic induced sleep. They found that urethane produced the most normal type of sleep patterns that would eliminate the side effects of other sleep inducing drugs and medication. The anesthetic per se is not suitable for human use, due to the huge concentrations that would be needed to attain the desired result but the mechanism or action of the drug can be used as a baseline for further study in the continuing search for a solution to the sleep problem that affects millions world-wide.