New Discovery May Allow People to Hit “Snooze” Button on Internal Clock
May 2008 - A tiny signaling molecule, (cAMP), has been discovered to play a key role in keeping the body’s internal clock constant by maintaining body timing “rhythms” going. The research, published in the latest issue of Science magazine, still has a long way to go before hitting the clinical trial stage. Study leader Dr. Michael Hastings at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology discovered the importance of cAMP in mice that had a genetic defect that set their body clock on a 20 hour schedule instead of the normal 24 hour one. By using known compounds that have had an effect on cAMP in the past, they were able to reset the internal clock, slowing it down to 24 hours. “What’s neat about cAMP is that it is very easily controlled by different medicines and compounds,” said Dr. Neil Stanley of the Norwich University Hospital and sleep expert. “This is very interesting from a biological basis, but the perils and pitfalls of trying to develop new methods for regulation of sleep are great. For example, melatonin hasn’t really fulfilled its promise and it’s been harder to use it usefully than people once hoped,” he continued. The research has insomniacs around the world buzzing, as insomnia has been linked to the disruption of the body’s clock. Additionally, a quirky internal timer has been linked to depression, heart disease, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. As an added bonus, the results may lead to an end of jet lag as travelers
know it. “If you’re flying to California it takes eight hours…the
body clock can adjust by one hour for each day…so it takes about a
week,” explained Hastings. “What we need to do is slow down the clock
for that first day, so you would already be in sync with California
time.”
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ResourcesAvoiding Drowsy Driving
Countermeasures
Responsibility and the Drowsy Driver
Signs of Drowsiness when Driving
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Associated Circadan Rythyms
"And miles to go before I sleep" (Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening)
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