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Alternative medicine
By Mayo Clinic staff
Melatonin
As a jet lag remedy and sleep aid, melatonin has been widely studied, and it is now a commonly accepted part of effective jet lag treatment. The latest research seems to show that melatonin does indeed aid sleep during times when you wouldn't normally be resting, making it of particular benefit for people with jet lag.
The hormone is treated as a darkness signal by your body and generally has the opposite effect of bright light. The time at which you take melatonin is important. If you are trying to reset your body clock to an earlier time, you should take melatonin in the evening. If you are trying to reset your body clock to a later time, melatonin should be taken in the morning.
Small doses — as little as 0.5 milligram — seem just as effective as doses of 5 milligrams or higher, although higher doses have been shown by some studies to be more sleep-promoting. If you do use melatonin, take it 20 minutes before you plan to sleep or ask your doctor about the proper timing. Avoid alcohol when taking melatonin. Side effects are uncommon but may include dizziness, headache and loss of appetite, and possibly nausea and disorientation.
Investigate other remedies
Most frequent fliers have a favorite jet lag cure, from aromatherapy or homeopathy to special diets. Many of these diets alternate days of feasting and fasting and high-protein and low-protein meals. Though no anti-jet-lag diets have definitively been shown to work, some people swear by them. If the diets themselves seem too complicated, you can approximate their effects by simply eating more high-protein foods to stay alert and more carbohydrates when you want to sleep. Most alternative jet lag therapies aren't harmful and may be worth a try if nothing else helps.
- Jet lag. SleepEducation.com. http://www.sleepeducation.com/Disorder.aspx?id=9. Accessed May 2, 2010.
- Sack RL. Jet lag. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2010;262:440.
- Czeisler CA, et al. Sleep disorders. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Online. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw Hill; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2897526&searchStr=sleep+disorders%2c+circadian+rhythm. Accessed May 4, 2010.
- Morgenthaler TI, et al. Practice parameters for the clinical evaluation and treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Sleep. 2007;20:1445.
- Barion A, et al. A clinical approach to circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Sleep Med. 2007;8:566. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2679862/pdf/nihms29226.pdf. Accessed May 4, 2010.
- Muhm MJ, et al. Effect of aircraft-cabin altitude on passenger discomfort. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;257:19.
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