Night shift-workers are often advised to take a prophylactic nap prior to starting the shift
in order to improve alertness and performance. However, individuals often report difficulty
initiating and maintaining sleep at that time of the day secondary to the alerting influence
of the near-24 hour circadian rhythm (biological clock). A sleep-promoting medication may
improve the quality of an evening nap and subsequent alertness and performance during a night
shift. We will use Ramelteon, a melatonin agonist that is FDA approved for insomnia, in order
to test the following hypotheses:
1. ramelteon, compared with placebo, will significantly increase sleep efficiency during a
2-hour nap;
2. sleep inertia, as assessed by neurobehavioral tests and subjective and objective
sleepiness assessments will not be significantly increased after ramelteon treatment
compared with placebo treatment; and
3. neurobehavioral performance, subjective and objective sleepiness, and subjective mood
during a simulated 8-hour night shift will be significantly improved when ramelteon is
given prior to a prophylactic nap compared to a prophylactic nap with placebo.