The influence of alcohol (ethanol) on sleep was investigated in 10 men. Polysomnography (PS) was recorded on a baseline night (BL-N) and an ethanol (0.8 g/kg) night (Et-N). On visual score rapid eye movement (REM) sleep was reduced, REM latency was prolonged on Et-N as compared to BL-N. Using the fast Fourier transformation method, electroencephalographic power density of REM sleep in S frequencies band and in the 10-12 Hz range of non-REM sleep were enhanced. REM sleep and non-REM sleep changes were prominent in the second-half and first-half of the night, respectively.

The following describes a 76-year-old male with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome successfully treated with a Kampo-formula, San'o-shashin-to (Formula medicamentorum tres ad dispellendi cordis). Polysomnography, performed before and after administration of San'o-shashin-to, revealed that the apnea index decreased from 11.1 events/hour to 4.1 events/hour, and that the apnea plus hypopnea index decreased from 18.4 events/hour to 10.7 events/hour. The patient was normo-weight (body mass index: 20.4 kg/m 2 ), and events of sleep apnea and hypopnea were mostly noted during a non-rapid eye movement sleep. It is possible that San'o-shashin-to has some alleviating effects on the upper airway resistence during sleep.

We report a patient, a 30-year-old male Japanese-Brazilian migrant construction worker, suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness for at least 6 months. Electroencephalogram recordings during his waking states showed that 10-Hz and 60-pV alpha activity was present prominently in the occipital regions. From the multiple sleep latency test, it was found that stages 1-2 NREM sleep episodes appeared repetitively without any REM episodes, and that the mean sleep latency was 10.2 min. These findings support the diagnosis that this patient suffers from subwakefulness syndrome.