Full access
Clinical & Research News
Published Online: 19 November 2010

Jet Lag May Exacerbate Mood Disorders

Publication: Psychiatric News
Volume 45, Number 22
https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.45.22.psychnews_45_22_031
Track CitationsAdd to favorites
For leisure travelers, jet lag usually amounts to only a minor inconvenience. In people with mood disorders, however, circadian misalignment may trigger more acute sleep and mood disturbances, Robert Sack, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University, told Psychiatric News. People with mood disorders need to be aware of this possibility when traveling across multiple time zones.
Psychiatrists may want to encourage such patients to use light exposure and melatonin prior to departure to hasten their adaptation to the new local time, Sack said.
A hypnotic medication or melatonin may help improve sleep on the plane and when taken at bedtime the first few nights in the new time zone. A Northwestern University study found ramelteon, a melatonin receptor agonist, taken at bedtime, was more effective than a placebo in speeding sleep onset for the first four nights after arrival in 110 healthy adults who had flown five hours eastward.
Individuals who have not taken such medications previously should take a test dose at home before a trip, Sack said. Hypnotics' potential adverse effects include amnesia and confusion.
Caffeine can help counter daytime sleepiness. The potential usefulness of other alerting agents is being studied.
Researchers at the Atlanta Sleep Medicine Clinic found the wake-promoting medication armodafinil improved daytime alertness, assessed by both objective and subjective measures, in 427 people traveling from the eastern United States to France. The Food and Drug Administration has approved armodafinil for use in treating sleepiness in narcolepsy, shift-work sleep disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea. In March, however, the FDA declined to approve armodafinil's use for jet lag.
More information is in Sack's review, “Jet Lag,” in the February 4 New England Journal of Medicine posted at <www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMcp0909838>.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric News
Psychiatric News
Volume 45 • Number 22 • November 19, 2010
Pages: 18

History

Published online: 19 November 2010
Published in print: November 19, 2010

Authors

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

View Options

View options

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share

×

As described within the American Psychiatric Association (APA)'s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences. Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.