The effects of two non-barbiturate hypnotic compounds, glutethimide, 0.5 g, (Doriden) and ethchlorvynol, 0.5 g, (Placidyl) were compared to each other and to a placebo in a controlled study in 20 patients hospitalized for an average of 21 years. An evaluation of the sleep and para-sleep parameters (pre-sleep tension, frequency of awakening at night, post-sleep activity) indicated that the sleep inducing and sleep sustaining characteristics of ethchlorvynol were superior to those of glutethimide.