Circadian changes in psychologic effects of ethanol.
Six healthy human males (aged 22 to 26 years) synchronized with diurnal activity from 0700 hours to midnight and nocturnal rest, volunteered to document changes in psychologic variables resulting from ethylalcohol ingestion (ethanol 0.67 g/kg of body weight). For each subject four separate tests were performed at least 1 week apart at 0700, 1100, 1900, and 2300 hours in randomized order, with measurements taken before and 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 140 minutes postingestion and thereafter at 4-hour intervals during a 24- to 36-hour period. Subjects fasted for 12 hours preceding ethanol ingestion time and for 8 hours thereafter. Self-rated inebreity (visual analogue scale) was greatest after ingestion at 2300 hours and lowest after ingestion at 1100 hours. Both speed to perform random number addition and eye-hand skill tests were slowest after ingestion at 2300 hours. However, changes observed for self-rated physical vigor, tempo, hand-grip strength, and systolic blood pressure did not appear to be ethanol ingestion time dependent. Validated ethanol ingestion time-dependent effects including those of oral temperature were not related to changes in the drug pharmacokinetics.