The use of triazolam in phase-advanced sleep

The need for optimal nocturnal performance continues to increase in our society. Nighttime function is dependent upon the ability to sleep effectively during the day. The current study examined daytime sleep after placebo, 0.125 mg (364 nmol), 0.25 mg (729 nmol), or 0.50 mg (1458 nmol) of triazolam, and nocturnal performance in the work shift that followed. Forty-one normal young adult subjects participated in a repeated-measures design in which each subject received each medication dose level in a separate week. The results indicated that day sleep increased as a linear function of drug dose from 234 to 374 minutes. Nocturnal alertness, as measured by subjective report and objective nap latency test, increased significantly following the use of triazolam, 0.25 and 0.50 mg, for the day sleep period. Nocturnal performance, as measured by auditory vigilance and additions, also increased significantly following the use of triazolam. Marginal evidence for medication hangover was found at the 0.50-mg dose, and it was therefore recommended that the use of the 0.50-mg dose be monitored carefully if performance demand were to follow medication use by less than 12 hours. The results for the study were interpreted as indicating that under certain conditions, triazolam could effectively increase daytime sleep and improve alertness and performance in the following nocturnal work period.