Abstract
The study objective was to determine the acute effects of a moderate evening dose of alcohol on salivary melatonin levels in humans with stable prior sleep‐wake histories and in a controlled environment. Twenty‐nine adults (nine males) ages 21 to 25 (M=22.6, SD=1.2) yrs adhered to a 10‐day at‐home stabilized sleep schedule followed by three in‐lab adaptation, placebo, and alcohol (order counterbalanced) study nights. Alcohol (vodka: 0.54 g/kg for men and 0.49 g/kg for women) or placebo beverage was consumed over 30 min, ending 1 h before stabilized bedtime. At 140 and 190 min after alcohol administration, melatonin level was reduced by 15% and 19%, respectively, in comparison to placebo. The findings indicate that a moderate dose of alcohol in the evening suppressed melatonin in young adults.
Notes
This research was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Grant AA13252 to Mary A. Carskadon.