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Viagra may cure Jet-lag, says researchers
1 Aug 2007

Viagra, the little blue wonder pill, hailed as a panacea for erectile dysfunction, now is privileged with another tribute that of having potential to heal jet-lag. According to the researchers of Argentina, the pill may be a gateway for travelers to come out of Jet-lag.

Jet lag occurs due to interruption in the circadian cycle that happens when one spirt across many time zones. It is identified by symptoms such as trouble during the concentration, insomnia and drowsiness, and might be more perilous for people engrossed in the airline industry or who works in shifts.

During their experiment, Diego Golombek, Santiago Plano and Patricia Agostino, researchers from the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Buenos Aires, created jet-lag among hamsters by controlling light in their environment in order to engender the effect of day and night. And then they gave Sildenafil, a key constituent of Viagra, and placebo to adult male hamsters in their laboratory and thereafter controlled light for 15 minutes to propose an eastbound flight, a six hours difference.

They then made hamsters to utilize exercise wheels in order to observe their adaptation to the modifications introduced. It was found that hamsters who took Sildenafil recovered 50 percent fast from jet-lag than the placebo's hamsters.

The scientists proposed the application of Viagra in a smaller dose as induced penile erection had became apparent, one of the side effects of Viagra, in-between of the experiment. They explained that Sildenafil influenced an enzyme and lowered the force of a substance which aids in controlling the body's circadian cycle. People's circadian cycle can be administered with the release of chemicals like melatonin in the brain.