Jetlag and Tasimelteon

As I thumbed through The Lancet last week, that well known medical anti-insomniac relief for non medical types, I read something that kept me awake.

Research at a Harvard University outpost, the Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston in USA seems to indicate that this drug may relieve some of the inability to sleep as you cross time zones. Tested on 411 people who had “transient insomnia” over a 7 day period, some of the patients were given a placebo and the others, tasimelteon. Sleep patterns were adjusted to simulate the crossing of 5 time zones. Those that took the drug, in the words of the article, had “improved sleep efficiency. and “improved sleep initiation and maintenance”.

In English, then, they got to sleep faster and slept longer. Those that had the placebo didn't. Another study on The Lancet's blog said that similar results had been found in a study of 320 individuals.

So at some stage in the future, there may be hope for a pill for jetlag sufferers, insomniacs, breakfast TV presenters and nightclub dj's.