0780 Jet Lag Associated with Eastward Travel and Its Treatment with Aripiprazole

Abstract Introduction When experiencing jet-lag, 7-8-hour travels eastward can often feel overwhelming. For example, flights from Japan to San Francisco (SFO) departs Japan at 5:00PM and arrives at SFO nine hours later at 10:00AM local time. However, the body's rhythm at this time is 2:00AM. Being woken up in the middle of the night leaves the individual feeling drowsy. Even if you fall asleep after dinner, you may sleep for a few hours only to wake up in the middle of the night. This often results in being unable to fall asleep until morning. Aripiprazole, a partial dopamine agonist, has been shown to promote early awakening in humans (Omori,2018). In a jet-lag experiment in mice in which mice were given a six-hour early riser, it took approximately one week for those without the medication to adapt to the time difference, while those receiving oral APR adapted in 2-3days (Li,2023). This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of APR for treating jet-lag in humans. Methods We investigated whether oral administration of Aripiprazole, initiated the day before or the morning of departure, would facilitate adjustment to local time settings. Nine subjects were medical professionals or sleep researchers, and after an explanation of the study, informed consent was obtained. This study was approved by the ethics committee. Individuals were free to choose whether or not to take the medication; six chose the Aripiprazole group and four chose the control group (one subject participated in both groups). Dosages were determined based on body weight: 0.5mg (< 60kg) or 1mg (>60kg). Subjects continued taking the medication for several days after travel until they adjusted to the jet lag and were asked to complete a sleep dairy. Results All subjects in the medication group reported experiencing less severe jet-lag than during previous travel. Sleep dairies confirmed that administration resulted in slightly longer sleeping time (6h vs 6.6h,ns) and fewer awakenings time during the night (1.6h vs 0.4h, p< 0.05) in initial four nights. No adverse events were observed due to the low dose of 0.5-1mg. Conclusion Low-dose Aripiprazole appears to be beneficial in reducing 7-8hours of jet-lag during eastbound travel. Support (if any)