Effects of L-acetylcarnitine on nocturnal sleep and daytime alertness in young adults

Nocturnal sleep and daytime alertness were studied polygraphically in six young healthy volunteers in baseline conditions and after one week of L-acetylcarnitine treatment (500 mg three times daily). Baseline recordings of spontaneous nocturnal sleep were obtained for each subject after an adaptation night. The day after the nocturnal sleep recording, all of the volunteers underwent a Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) for objective measurement of their tendency to fall asleep. The data obtained failed to reveal any significant differences as far as mean percentage of total sleep time and sleep stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 were concerned. Mean REM percentage increased, while mean REM and delta sleep latencies decreased. MSLT showed an increased number of naps in four subjects, while no difference was observed in the other two. Although the results failed to reach statistical significance in our very small sample, the various anecdotal reports describing decreased sleep time and an alerting effect in patients on L-acetylcarnitine treatment are not likely to be confirmed.