Psychology, 5/e   Wortman, Loftus & Weaver
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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What advice do you have for insomniacs in college?

First of all, don’t worry about brief periods of insomnia. They happen to everyone from time to time. Furthermore, the belief that everyone needs 8 hours of sleep each night is incorrect. Many people function just fine with 5 or 5 hours; you may be one. Next, resist the temptation to sleep late, even if you were up late the night before. Set a time to awaken, and get up at that time. Sleeping late even one day a week can play havoc with your circadian rhythms. Avoid caffeine for 6 or 8 hours prior to going to bed, and avoid alcohol late at night, too. Alcohol may make you feel drowsy, but it actually interferes with REM sleep, the most rest-producing kind. Over-the-counter sleeping pills usually contain some sort of antihistamine. Like alcohol, they make you drowsy but the disrupt REM sleep, and are best avoided. In the last few years melatonin, a hormone involved in circadian rhythms, has become increasingly popular. Early studies suggest it may be useful for insomniacs, but long-term effects are still unknown. If you decide to try it, do so cautiously. Begin with small doses--unlike other sleep aids, melatonin doesn’t induce drowsiness, so higher doses will not make you sleepier--and monitor yourself closely. If you detect any unpleasant side effect, discontinue use.

2. Why is legalizing marijuana so controversial?

The question might be rephrased, “why is marijuana illegal when alcohol is legal?” In truth, from a psychopharmacological perspective, marijuana is probably the “safer” of the two drugs. In the early part of this century, in fact, it was not clear which would become the drug of choice for our society--the temperance movement, which ultimately led to the ratification of the 18th amendment reflected our society’s disapproval of alcohol. However, then prohibition was repealed in the early 1930s (Amendment 21) marijuana became perceived as a much more dangerous drug--witness the alarmist (almost satirical) movies like “Reefer Madness.”

Marijuana intoxication induces many undesirable behavioral changes, such as slowed thinking and reaction time, distortions of time and (to some degree) place, and generally lowers inhibitions. For this reasons, those who are “stoned” should not attempt to drive or engage in any other potential dangerous activity. Marijuana does not, however, tend to increase aggressive behavior, as alcohol clearly does. People act silly and stupid when stoned, and are not generally capable of competent self-monitoring--but they don’t tend to react aggressively, as they do when drunk.

All of this aside, it is unlikely that marijuana will ever be legalized, and it is unclear that it should be. While it doesn’t induce anti-social behavior to the degree alcohol does, that’s a weak argument in favor of legalized marijuana. It does not generally lead to productive behavior, either. What about those with medical problems like glaucoma, where THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) does have some medical benefit? Those are legitimate exceptions, but there are a number of other drugs which can alleviate those symptoms as well. In those cases, the decision to use marijuana most appropriately belongs to those suffering and their physicians.

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