Flurazepam and the sleep of herniorrhaphy patients.

The effects of flurazepam on the nocturnal sleep patterns of 20 pre- and postoperative herniorrhaphy patients were studied polygraphically, in double-blind fashion, in the clinical setting. Compared to patients who received no hypnotic, patients treated with flurazepam had, preoperatively, significantly more Stage 2 and less REM and, postoperatively, significantly greater total sleep time, fewer awakenings, and less total awake time. The flurazepam group also initially had more delta sleep, but then showed a steady decrease of delta sleep over the hospitalization.