Some effects of jet-lag and their alleviation by melatonin

Abstract

Seventeen healthy volunteers (10 women and 7 men, aged 29-68) were flown from London to San Francisco between 20 November 1985 and 25 January 1986 and remained there for 14 days prior to flight home. Subjects took melatonin (N= 8, 5 women, 3 men) or placebo in a double-blind design, at 18.00h local time for three days before the return flight and at bedtime (22.00-24.0011) in Great Britain for four days. For three days before departure and on days 1-7,14,15,21 and 22 after their retum subjects collected 6-hourly sequential urine samples and kept a daily sleep log. 'They recorded mood and oral temperature 2 hourly and performed logical reasoning and letter cancellation tests 4 hourly from 08.00h (or wake up time) to 24,OOh (or bedtime) whichever was the earlier. Urine was also collected for 48 h prior to departure from the U.S.A.. On day 7 after their return subjects rated 'jet lag' (IOcm visual analogue scale-VAS) from 0 (insignificant) to 100 (very bad). Melatonin significantly improved 'jet lag' (p=0.009). Comparisons by ANOVA between jet-lagged placebo subjects (N = 7) and melatonin (N = 8) showed decreased sleep latency with melatonin (p=0.0397) which correlated positively with jet lag ratings, p < 0.001. Sleep quality was significantly improved in the melatonin group and correlated negatively with jet-lag ratings (p<0.001). No important differences were found in temperature, or performance data. Baseline differences were present in some pcrformancc ratings but no othcr variables. Mclatonin treated subjects tended to be more alert than placebo subjects, especially at bedtime. They were also less depressed. Endogenous melatonin and cortisol rhythms resynchronized more rapidly in melatonin subjects (p=0.0216 and p=0.0299 respectively, absolute acrophase shifts). Cortisol rhythms indicated adaptation to U.S.A. time in 14 days. These data suggest that MT can alleviate jet-lag after Eastward flight over eight time zones. Presumably its affects are primarily on sleep latency, quality, and directly or indirectly on some hormonal rhythms.

Melatonin and Human Chronobiology

“…Aaron Lerner may be the first person reported to have been successfully treated for ASPS with the neurohormone he discovered (0.3 mg of melatonin at wake time) (Lewy 2007). Other circadian phase disorders amenable to melatonin (and light) treatment include jet lag (Arendt et al 1987;Lewy et al 1995;Burgess et al 2003) and maladaptation to shift work (Sack et al 1992a). Treatment has not progressed rapidly in the area of shift work, due to many factors, such as rapidly changing schedules and the fact that DLMO time cannot even be grossly estimated from sleep times in these individuals.…”

Melatonin supplementation for severe and intractable sleep disturbance in young people with genetically determined developmental disabilities: short review and commentary

“…For example, usefulness has been proposed for those working shifts, 18 or suffering jet lag, 19 chronic insomnia, 20 or delayed sleep phase syndrome. 21 Jan et al 15 found beneficial effects of melatonin in their 15 children (13 male) with severe chronic sleep disorders who had failed to respond to conventional psychological and social management.…”

Preflight Adjustment to Eastward Travel:3 Days of Advancing Sleep with and without Morning Bright Light

“…Results from studies examining phase shifts in eastward jet-travelers indicate that antidromic shifts are quite common. Early studies suggested that antidromic re-entrainment occurred in 1 of 7 people following an 8-h eastward flight (Arendt et al, 1987) and 4 of 8 people following a 9-h eastward flight (Klein et al, 1977).…”