Daytime Sleep and Performance Following a Zolpidem and Melatonin Cocktail

Abstract

No advantages to administering melatonin plus zolpidem "cocktails" were evident. Unlike zolpidem, melatonin 5 mg alone improved daytime sleep without impairing memory and vigilance. Functional coupling of sleep-inducing and memory-impairing effects may be specific to benzodiazepine-receptor agonists such as zolpidem, suggesting potential advantages to using melatonin in the operational environment. That melatonin's sleep-promoting effects were delayed for several hours presents a practical consideration that may limit melatonin's usefulness when daytime sleep periods cannot be reliably anticipated or planned in advance.