Jet lag, a disruption of bodily rhythms caused by high-speed travel across several time zones typically in a jet aircraft, may be treated with viagra – a well-known impotence drug, revealed by Argentine researchers.
The study is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers manipulated the schedule of turning lights on and off to induce jet lag in the laboratory animals. Adult male hamsters given Viagra, also called sildenafil, recovered from jet lag up to 50 percent faster than hamsters that were not given it, the researchers said.
Flying across multiple time zones can confuse one’s sleep-wake cycle, resulting in the condition called jet lag, marked by insomnia, sleepiness and difficulty concentrating.
The researchers said the findings suggested that Viagra could be useful to help people cope with jet lag or shift work. They said the dose needed for such uses could be lower than the one used for treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Exposure to bright morning sunlight cures jet lag after a few days in most people. A few will have prolonged sleep phase difficulties. For these, there is a curious treatment that has achieved success. By forcing one’s self into a 27 hour day, complete with the appropriate stimulation from bright light, all the errant chemical cycles will be able to catch up during one week.