February 4, 2004 BETHESDA, MD -- Jet lag occurs when we travel across multiple time zones by air. Anyone who has experienced jet lag knows that it causes sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness, and can impair performance after landing. A team of researchers has investigated the effects of slow release caffeine (SRC) and melatonin (Mlt) on recovery sleep and daytime sleepiness after a seven-time zone eastbound flight and found that both drugs have positive effects on some jet lag symptoms after an eastbound flight. They found that SRC alleviates daytime sleepiness but exerts some unwanted effects on sleep. By contrast, Mlt was found to improve sleep but did not objectively mitigate sleepiness.

This study is part of a large, real-world French-American study called "Operation Pegasus" in which some 140 physiological, psychological, and biological parameters are measured. These results may be part of a larger plan for travelers looking to fine-tune for freshness after a long-haul flight.

A New Study

The new study is entitled "Caffeine Or Melatonin Effects On Sleep and Sleepiness After Rapid Eastward Transmeridian Travel." The authors of the study are M. Beaumont, D. Batejat, C. Pierard, P. Van Beers, and O. Coste, of the Department of Physiology, Institut de Medecine Aerospatiale du Service de Sante des Armees, Bretigny sur Orge, France; J. B. Denis, and P. Doireau, from the Centre Principal d'Expertise Medicale du Personnel Navigant, Clamart, France; F. Chauffard of Nestec SA, Nestle Research Center, Vers-chez-les-Blanc, Lausanne, Switzerland; J. French, Air Force Research Laboratory, Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX; and D. Lagarde, Direction Centrale du Service de Sante des Armees, Armees, France. Their findings appear in the January 2004 edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology, one of 14 scientific journals published monthly by the American Physiological Society (APS) (www.the-
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Contact: Donna Krupa
djkrupa1@aol.com
703-527-7357
American Physiological Society
4-Feb-2004

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