PP 39-43 Introduction Sleep is an actively controlled resting state associated with characteristic changes in central nervous activity. The EEG, EMG, and EOG biosignals can be evaluated either visually or by automated means. Depressive illnesses are accompanied by characteristic changes in sleep.
Sleep is fitful, and early waking is frequent.
An increased activity of cholinergic systems with a simultaneous weakening of aminergic transmitter systems has been postulated as the neurobiologic basis of these changes in sleep structure. Antidepressants intervene in this process and lead to typical changes in sleep profile. The purpose was to find out whether hypericum's action on sleep is comparable to that of the tricyclic antidepressants and nonselective MAO inhibitors, which cause a prolongation in REM latency and a suppression of REM sleep. It cannot, however, be ruled out that changes in REM sleep occurred at the start of treatment with hypericum that were not detected when they were measured 4 weeks later. In the investigated group of older, healthy volunteers, several weeks of treatment with hypericum thus had no effect on the time of appearance or amount of REM sleep.