ABSTRACT
The opiates comprise a class of drugs also known as narcotic analgesics. Their principal effect is pain reduction. Opioid use in history has been documented by ancient writings and archeological data. The Sumerians cultivated poppies and isolated opium by drying and powdering the milky juice taken from the seed capsules of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. Opium was inhaled or given through punctures in the skin, which subsequently led to analgesia, but also to respiratory depression and death due to variable rates of absorption. Opium is a complex chemical cocktail containing sugars, proteins, fats, water, plant wax, latex, gums, and numerous alkaloids, most notably morphine (10-15%), codeine (1-3%), noscapine (4-8%), papaverine (1-3%), and thebaine (1-2%). In 1806, the German chemist Sertürner isolated the most important alkaloid of opium, morphine, and named it after the god of dreams, Morpheus.1 The effects of morphine were more potent and significantly more predictable than those of opium. This development made more precise dosing possible and morphine began to be used for surgical procedures and for postoperative and chronic pain. However, opiates produce a broad spectrum of side effects, including actions on sleep control. This chapter focuses on the molecular mechanism of opioids and their effects on sleep.
