View source for Treating sleep disorders and in sleep EEG.

A sleep disorder is said to be present whenever a lower quality of sleep results in excessive sleepiness, longer reaction times and the impairing of general functions. The most common sleep disorder is insomnia, which is literally the inability to sleep. Other sleep disorders include primary and secondary sleep disorders, and sleep restriction.

Melatonin unfortunately has no effect on those suffering from primary sleeping disorders or sleep restriction. After a high quality study was conducted on people with this disorder, it was established that melatonin did not have an effect on sleep efficiency, and its effects did not vary by dose, length of treatment or the age of the guinea pig! Furthermore, it had no effect on the quality of sleep, be it wakefulness, the time spent sleeping in the rapid eye movement phase total sleep time.

Melatonin did however increase sleep efficiency in people suffering from a secondary sleep disorder by as much as 95%. Once again however, the effects did not vary by amount, length of treatment or gender or age person. The drug has also been shown to be extremely efficient in treating those suffering from jet lag.