The effects of combined sedative and anxiolytic preparations on subjective aspects of sleep and objective measures of arousal and performance the morning following nocturnal medication. I: Acute doses.

Acute doses of various sedative and anxiolytic preparations were administered to consenting volunteers and the effects measured on both subjective and objective assessments of sleep and early morning behaviour. Nitrazepam was used as the benzodiazepine hypnotic, dichloralphenazone as the standard non-benzodiazepine hypnotic and clobazam as the representative anxiolytic preparation. The acute dose nature of the study produced variable results, but a degree of disruption of performance the morning following nocturnal medication was measured. This suggested that anxiolytics and sedatives might potentiate one another and the resulting disorganisation of behaviour might be important in patient populations having to drive motor vehicles.