L-Tryptophan, Sleep, and Performance.

Abstract

Planning for adequate rest and predicting the consequences of inadequate sleep or cumulative sleep loss should be an important consideration in mission logistics. The use of a sleeping aid may be appropriate to permit personnel to maximize sleep effectiveness in operational environments. At NHRC, we have investigated the amino acid l-tryptophan as a non sedating sleeping aid for military use. Attention focused on l-tryptophan because of its role as the dietary precursor of serotonin. the neurotransmitter first identified by Jouvet as involved in the regulation of sleep. Recent reviews continue to debate the effectiveness of 1-tryptophan as a sleeping aid and the underlying mechanism for its effects. Keywords: Tryptophan, Performance, Reaction time, Sleep, Memory, Insomnia, Humans, Jet Lag, Arousal, Threshold.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 10, 1987
Accession Number
ADA181941

Entities

People

  • Cheryl L. Spinweber

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Amino Acids
  • Amnesia
  • Brain
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Frequency
  • Health Services
  • Insomnia
  • Jet Lag
  • Logistics
  • Medical Personnel
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychophysiology
  • Reaction Time
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Tryptophan

Readers

  • Circadian Sleep-Wake Regulation and Chronobiology
  • Neuroscience
  • Systems Analysis and Design