The Relationship Between the Dim Light Melatonin Onset and Sleep on a Regular Schedule in Young Healthy Adults
Abstract
The endogenous melatonin onset in dim light (DLMO) is a marker of circadian phase that can be used to appropriately time the administration of bright light or exogenous melatonin in order to elicit a desired phase shift. Determining an individual's circadian phase can be costly and time-consuming. We examined the relationship between the DLMO and sleep times in 16 young healthy individuals who slept at their habitual times for a week. The DLMO occurred about 2 hours before bedtime and 14 hours after wake. Wake time and midpoint of sleep were significantly associated with the DLMO (r = 0.77, r = 0.68 respectively), but bedtime was not (r = 0.36). The possibility of predicting young healthy normally entrained people's DLMOs from their sleep times is discussed.
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Chronotype was estimated using self-categorization and not clock times that would have allowed identification of the sleep mid-point.
“Moreover, choronotype was estimated using self-categorization and not clock times that would have allowed the identification of the sleep mid-point [97].”
From Smoking, screen-based sedentary behavior, and diet associated with habitual sleep duration and chronotype: data from the UK Biobank (2016) · cites this paper as [97]
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- Authors
- Burgess, H. J., Savic, N., Sletten, T., Roach, G., Gilbert, S. S., & Dawson, D.
- Affiliations
- Rush University Medical Center (US)
- Venue
- Behavioral Sleep Medicine
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2003-05
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 102-114
- ISSN
- 1540-2002 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-2010
- OpenAlex
- W2034072665
- Cited by
- 125
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 1.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behavioral Sleep Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of South Australia
- Australian Research Council
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Keywords
- dim light melatonin onset, circadian phase, sleep timing, bedtime, wake time, healthy young adults, circadian entrainment
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Female, Humans, Light, Male, Melatonin, Saliva, Sleep, Wakefulness
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