That is what a new study on the effect of Viagra on hamsters is suggesting. A shot of it may one day help shift workers and flight crews recover their normal sleep cycles.

Diego Golombek from Argentina’s National University of Quilmes and colleagues found that administering a hamster-sized dose of Sildenafil (more commonly known as Viagra) helped the rodents recover more quickly from laboratory-induced jet lag.

The researchers synchronized the hamsters to a 24-hour day by simulating light-dark cycles. Once the hamsters adjusted to a cycle, they shifted the light-dark phases forward six hours.

One group of hamsters was given saline; the other was given Viagra. The hamsters given Viagra got used to the change 4 days faster, on average, than their counterparts given a placebo. Viagra eased the transition that mimicked crossing the international dateline from west to east, known as phase advancing, and had no effect on a transition that mimicked westward travel.

It interferes with an enzyme that lowers levels of a naturally occurring compound that plays a role in the regulation of the circadian cycle, the body’s internal clock

Viagra was originally developed for high blood pressure before its anti-impotence qualities were discovered and now it will likely be used to treat jet lag in the future.

Viagra is marketed by Pfizer, the world’s largest drug maker, it is its fifth-largest product.

Source: Stuff