Skene D J, Lockley S W, Arendt J
School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, U.K.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 1999;467:79-84. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4615-4709-9_10.
When administered to humans the pineal hormone melatonin can phase shift a number of circadian rhythms. This property has prompted the investigation of exogenous melatonin in sleep disorders known to have an underlying chronophysiological basis (i.e. circadian rhythm sleep disorders). Both in field and simulated studies of jet lag and shift work suitably timed melatonin improved sleep and, in some cases, hastened readaptation of the circadian rhythms following the phase shift. Melatonin treatment has also been evaluated in the circadian sleep disorders: delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) and non-24-hour sleep wake disorder. Compared with placebo, melatonin advanced the sleep period in subjects with DSPS. Melatonin also improved a number of sleep parameters in blind subjects suffering from non-24-hour sleep wake disorder.
当褪黑素这种松果体激素作用于人体时，它可以使多种昼夜节律发生相位偏移。这一特性促使人们对外源性褪黑素在已知具有潜在时间生理基础的睡眠障碍（即昼夜节律性睡眠障碍）中的作用展开研究。在时差反应和轮班工作的实地及模拟研究中，适时服用褪黑素均能改善睡眠，并且在某些情况下，还能加速相位偏移后昼夜节律的重新适应。褪黑素治疗也已在昼夜节律性睡眠障碍中进行了评估，包括睡眠时相延迟综合征（DSPS）和非24小时睡眠-觉醒障碍。与安慰剂相比，褪黑素使DSPS患者的睡眠时间提前。褪黑素还改善了患有非24小时睡眠-觉醒障碍的盲人受试者的一些睡眠参数。
