Zolpidem-related effects on performance and mood during simulated night-shift work

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Chronobiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Shift work is associated with significant disruptions in performance, mood, and physiological functions.
• Nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics like zolpidem are commonly used for sleep disturbances, but their effects on shift work adaptation are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of zolpidem on psychomotor performance, subjective experiences, and food intake in a simulated shift work environment.
• To determine if zolpidem can mitigate the negative effects of shift work.

Main Methods:

• A within-participant design was employed with seven participants in a residential laboratory setting over 23 days.
• Participants received placebo or zolpidem (5 or 10 mg) orally 1 hour before bedtime for three consecutive days under both day and night shift conditions.

Main Results:

• Simulated night shifts led to impaired next-day performance, disrupted subjective effects, and decreased food intake compared to placebo.
• Zolpidem administration improved subjective sleep quality and, to a lesser extent, next-day performance.
• Next-day mood was negatively affected by zolpidem, while food intake remained unchanged.

Conclusions:

• Shift work inherently causes performance deficits, mood disturbances, and reduced food intake.
• Zolpidem demonstrates potential in alleviating certain shift-work-induced disruptions, particularly in sleep quality and performance, but with a notable adverse effect on mood.