The relationship between the dim light melatonin onset and sleep on a regular schedule in young healthy adults.
The endogenous melatonin onset in dim light (DLMO) is a marker of circadian phase that can be used to appropriately time the administration of bright light or exogenous melatonin in order to elicit a desired phase shift. Determining an individual's circadian phase can be costly and time-consuming. We examined the relationship between the DLMO and sleep times in 16 young healthy individuals who slept at their habitual times for a week. The DLMO occurred about 2 hours before bedtime and 14 hours after wake. Wake time and midpoint of sleep were significantly associated with the DLMO (r = 0.77, r = 0.68 respectively), but bedtime was not (r = 0.36). The possibility of predicting young healthy normally entrained people's DLMOs from their sleep times is discussed.
Burgess
Helen J
HJ
Biological Rhythms Research Laboratory, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. hburgess@rush.edu
Savic
Natasha
N
Sletten
Tracey
T
Roach
Gregory
G
Gilbert
Saul S
SS
Dawson
Drew
D
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology
D008550:Melatonin