What Is a Hypnotic?

失眠，指无法入睡或无法保持睡眠状态，导致睡眠不足。又称入睡和维持睡眠障碍(DlMS)，祖国医学又称其为“不寐”、“不得眠”、“不得卧”、“目不瞑”，是以经常不能获得正常睡眠为特征的一种病证，为各种原因引起入睡困难、睡眠深度或频度过短(浅睡性失眠)、早醒及睡眠时间不足或质量差等。适当服用催眠药是解决失眠问题的成功方法。安眠药又名安定。本品白色或类白色结晶性粉末;无臭，味微苦。几乎不溶于水，可溶于盐酸。遇酸或碱及受热易水解，口服药物在胃酸的作用下开环，进入碱性肠道又重新环合成原药。因此，不影响药物的生物利用度。抗焦虑，停药后代偿性反跳较轻，停药困难轻。后遗效应较轻。安全范围大。

What is a Hypnotic? Find out on this Moment of Science.

The word “(1)hypnotic” sounds very mysterious. Maybe it (2)conjures up visions of a swinging watch and a voice saying “you are getting sleepy”. But to your doctor or pharmacist(药剂师), the word hypnotic means something quite different. In medicine, a hypnotic is a type of drug. So, what is a hypnotic drug? And why do they call them that anyway?

Simply put, a hypnotic is any drug whose purpose is to produce sleep: it’s a sleeping pill. But not every drug that makes you sleepy is used as a hypnotic.

Many drugs may produce (3)drowsiness as a side effect, but only those that are primarily used for sleep are true hypnotics. For example, consider the well-known drug, Valium(安定). Many people would call Valium a “sleeping pill” since it produces drowsiness. But, it’s not really used as a hypnotic.

Valium is used to treat anxiety, panic attacks(恐慌发作), muscle spasms(肌肉痉挛) and even seizures(癫痫). On the other hand, a hypnotic like Chloral Hydrate is given only to produce sleep. Still, why call sleeping pills hypnotics? Well, they are named for the Greek god of sleep, Hypnos.

译文：

安眠药

“催眠”这个词听起来非常的神秘。或许它会让你想起一个摆动的手表，和一个声音说“你越来越困”的场景。但是对于你的医生或者药剂师来说，催眠这个词意味着完全不同的东西。在医学上，安眠药是一种药物。因此，什么叫做安眠药呢?为什么他们要这样称呼这些药呢?

简单地说，安眠药是催人睡觉的药物：它是一种催眠药。但是并不是每一种让你昏昏欲睡的药物都被当做安眠药来使用。

许多药物可能会产生让人嗜睡的副作用，但是只有那些主要用于治疗睡眠的药物才是真正的安眠药。比如，众所周知的安眠药，安定。许多人会称安定为安眠药是因为它能催眠。但是，实际上它并不是被当作安眠药来使用。

安定用来治疗焦虑，恐慌，肌肉痉挛，甚至癫痫。而像水合氯醛之类的安眠药只用于催眠。还有，为什么安眠药叫做hypnotics?因为他们以希腊神话中的睡眠之神许普诺斯命名。

Notes:

(1)hypnotic [hip'n?tik] adj.催眠的，催眠术的;易于催眠的 n.安眠药;催眠状态的人

What does hypnotic method have?

催眠的方法有哪些?

(2)conjure up 想起，使在脑海中显现;用魔法召唤

The old man conjured up a bag of silver coins from his pocket.

老人像变戏法似的从衣袋里掏出一包银币。

(3)drowsiness ['drauzinis] n.睡意;困倦;假寐

Since some medicines cause drowsiness, it's best not to drive while taking them.

因为有些药会使人产生睡意，所以吃了药最好不要开车。