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Description:
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During spaceflight , sleep time are markedly reduced for astronauts . Sleep medications are used by astronauts during space mission for sleep . Spaceflight is an environment where abrupt alarm awakening is always a possibility and during that time high cognitive function and performance may be needed to prevent loss of life of crew . Zolpidem has been used on spaceflight after ground testing . The medication has been tested and studies have shown few side effects after a complete night of sleep . Few studies have been done on abrupt awakening after taking this medication . This study was done to test the effects of this medication on abrupt awakening after taking this medication and comparing to placebo . Seven subjects were selected and tested over two nights , one night with zolpidem and one night with placebo . Using a randomized single blind crossover design and testing cognitive function using a standard battery of computer based tests . Subjects were abruptly awakened after 2 hours of taking placebo and zolpidem . Subjects were videotaped , wore an actigraph and completed standard tasks and computer based testing bouts . When compared to placebo , on the night subjects were given zolpidem , subjects showed greater delay to alarm shut off , increased lapses of attention , and a large amount of variation between subjects . Actigraphy and video tape data correlated with the results of the computer based testing . Actigraph data also showed that subjects had similar average amounts of sleep with placebo and zolpidem . This study was not a traditional sleep study , it was operational study with practical testing of abrupt awakening and its effect on cognitive function . This study also provides evidence in support of developing a practical , individualized ground -based protocol for evaluating the cognitive performance deficits of sleep medications commonly used in spaceflight by NASA astronauts . The results of this study can be applicable to other fields where fatigue and sleep are an issue (military , shift work , etc ) . This protocol can also be used to test alertness medications in a similar way . |