Temazepam, But Not Zolpidem, Causes Orthostatic Hypotension in Astronauts After Spaceflight

Many astronauts do not sleep well due to the difficult environment in space. Hypnotics such as temazepam or zolpidem are often taken while in space and/or the night prior to returning to Earth. Until now, no data have illustrated the effect of these sleeping medications on postflight hemodynamic res...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI). Journal Articles
Main Authors Shi, Shang-Jin, Garcia, Kathleen M, Meck, Janice V
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hampton NASA/Langley Research Center 01.01.2002
Subjects
Astronauts
Earth gravitation
Hemodynamic responses
Hypotension
Sleep
Space flight
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Summary:Many astronauts do not sleep well due to the difficult environment in space. Hypnotics such as temazepam or zolpidem are often taken while in space and/or the night prior to returning to Earth. Until now, no data have illustrated the effect of these sleeping medications on postflight hemodynamic responses. The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of different hypnotics during flight has any effect on cardiovascular responses to standing in astronauts upon returning to Earth's gravity.