Wham: Viagra Stands Up As Jet Lag Aid

As it turns out, the male impotence drug Viagra may be useful for treating jet lag as well, according to Argentine researchers who gave it to hamsters in a simulated jet-lag experience. This report, announced in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describes the process by which researchers simulated jet-lag in these rodents. Scientists found that adult animals given Sildenafil IViagra) recovered from jet lag up to 50 percent faster than hamsters that didn't ingest it.

The scientists stopped giving the hamsters the highest dose they had been using in the experiment because a certain side effect kept getting in the way: "We used the intermediate dose for the rest of the experiments because at that dose animals did not manifest the effects of sildenafil-induced penile erections," they wrote.

Flying across multiple time zones can confuse one's sleep-wake cycle, resulting in the condition called jet lag, marked by insomnia, sleepiness and difficulty concentrating.

Jet lag is something that everyone seems to have a favorite home-remedy for, and we can now add Viagra to that list. Previous announcements of research into jet lag have shown positive results with NADH, a co-enzyme tablet commonly available in health food and vitamin stores. Many people have also had success with adaptogenic herbs, known for their rejuvenating properties but containing no stimulants. Other researchers have found that melatonin, alternating with coffee taken at the right time of day can aid jet lag upon arrival.

Dave