Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Biology - Essay Example While the cannabinoid constituent may be free of central brain activity, it may possess potential therapeutic characteristics due to its anti-convulsant and myo-relaxant characteristics. In addition, the THC constituent in marijuana has attenuation effects such as tachycardia and euphoria. The mechanism of cannabinoids in effecting these changes is not clear since it is not possible to explain them through receptor binding (Shapiro, 2011). For the purpose of this study, THC alone will be studied in the process of sleep and sleep latencies, in the morning, after administration of marijuana. Research Question What are the effects of marijuana on the sleep patterns of young adults? Hypothesis Marijuana causes reduced sleep latency and increases sleepiness. Methodology The subjects who were incorporated in the study were between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five, weighing between sixty and ninety kg for males and fifty and eighty kg for females. Their body mass index was supposed to b e below thirty. The subjects were also required to have little incidence of medical history and were removed from the study if they had familial history of insomnia or daytime sleepiness, schizophrenic illnesses, and emotional or psychiatric problems (Solowij, 2010). Those taking more than 14 U of alcohol a week, smoking more than five cigarettes a day, and taking over five caffeinated beverages a day were also excluded. Inclusion required blood pressure measurements, oral temperature measurements, and hearty rate measurements. Those with blood pressure over 140/90 and a heart rate below 40 during rest were excluded. All subjects were required to use barrier methods during sex during the study, and that if they were on hormonal treatments, then they could not discontinue its use. The subjects consisted of four females aged between 20 and 22 years and 4 males between 24 and 30. The females weighed an average of 61.3kg and the males weighed an average of 74.7 kg. They were also social marijuana users and reported not using the drug for 30 days before the study, which was confirmed by a drug screen. The subjects also did not have any history of caffeine, tobacco, or alcohol abuse, confirmed by a drug screen that included tests for amphetamines, cocaine, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and opiates (Solowij, 2010). Their alcohol intake was also below 8 U/week for females and 20 U/week for the males. The independent variable for the study is sleep while the dependent variable is marijuana. The research study was a placebo-controlled and double blind experiment with observations of THC and CBD effects on sleep patterns the day after administration. There was a night for adaptation and four nights for the experiment that were separated by one week. The participants were required to sleep at their usual time, and refrain from catnaps and exercise during the day before the experimental nights and were also required to refrain from exercise at least twelve hours following the experimental nights. The participants were chauffeured to the sleep lab for the experimental nights. During the adaptation night, the participants were familiarized with the experiment and to confirm that they possessed a normal pattern of sleep. Caffeine and alcohol ingestion was prohibited during the adaptation night for twenty-four hours with smoking prohibited five hours before the sleep-over (Solowij, 2010). The participants