The Effects of Melatonin on Menstrual Characteristics, Prolactin, and Premenstrual Syndrome-Like Symptoms during a Simulated Eastward Deployment.
ARMY AEROMEDICAL RESEARCH LAB FORT RUCKER AL
Pagination or Media Count:
Melatonin N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine,a natural hormone which has been shown to resynchronize circadian rhythms and induce sleep in humans Arendt et al., 1987 Dawson and Encel, 1993 Reiter, 1991 Wurtman, 1986, is currently being marketed widely as a dietary supplement to alleviate desynchronosis desynchronization of physiological and behavioral rhythms and assist in obtaining quality sleep. Desynchronosis often results from rapid shifts in work schedules from day to night, or from shifts in the light- dark cycle due to time zone crossing. Symptoms resulting from desynchronosis include fatigue, sleepiness, lethargy, insomnia, gastrointestinal tract disorders, and poor mental performance for review see Comperatore and Krueger, 1990. Melatonin therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in preventing sleep loss and in maintaining alertness following travel across multiple time zones Arendt and Broadway, 1987 Comperatore et al., 1996 Petrie et al., 1989. Thus, melatonin can be a potentially effective chronobiotic and ameliorate desynchronosis during travel.
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Stress Physiology