Natural treatments for jet lag
Jet lag is a common disruption of the body’s internal clock that occurs when traveling across multiple time zones, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Natural treatments for jet lag aim to help individuals adjust more quickly to new time zones and alleviate these symptoms. One of the most prominent natural remedies is melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Studies indicate that melatonin supplements can effectively improve sleep quality and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep for travelers.
Other suggested natural treatments include nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), which may enhance mental function post-travel, and tyrosine, an amino acid that has shown promise in improving alertness during sleep deprivation. Additionally, natural remedies for insomnia, such as magnesium and various B vitamins, may also support better sleep patterns. Relaxation techniques, proper hydration, and exposure to natural light are recommended strategies to help reset the body’s internal clock. Overall, these natural approaches may provide travelers with effective options to mitigate the effects of jet lag and enhance their travel experience.
Natural treatments for jet lag
DEFINITION: Treatment of disruptions to the body’s internal clock from air travel across many time zones.
PRINCIPAL PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENT: Melatonin
OTHER PROPOSED NATURAL TREATMENTS: Natural treatments for insomnia, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, tyrosine, light exposure, diet and hydration, relaxation techniques
Introduction
The body has an internal clock that follows the rhythms of night and day. Air travel confuses this clock, causing the phenomenon known as jet lag. Persons who have crossed several time zones during a flight have experienced jet lag to some degree. Between those times, a person may have felt exhausted in the morning and wide awake at night and may have experienced symptoms such as fatigue, loss of concentration, dizziness, lightheadedness, irritability, nausea, and headache.
Ordinarily, the body clock resets itself within a few days. It is possible to speed up this natural process by deliberately using stimuli to “inform” the body when it should wake up and fall asleep. Typical methods involve social activity, outdoor exercise during the daytime, and mealtimes appropriate to the new time zone. It is also generally considered important to stay awake upon arrival in the new time zone until night falls. Sleeping pills may be helpful at first, so one does not stay awake. In addition, some physicians are experimenting with wakefulness drugs such as modafinil (Provigil) that are used for conditions such as narcolepsy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to help travelers stay active and alert on arrival.
Principal Proposed Natural Treatments
Melatonin is a natural hormone that plays a role in the day-night cycle (the circadian rhythm). During daylight, the pineal gland in the brain produces an important neurotransmitter called serotonin, but at night, the pineal gland stops producing serotonin and instead makes melatonin. This melatonin release helps trigger sleep.
The amount of melatonin production varies according to the intensity of light to which a person is exposed; for example, the body produces more melatonin in a completely dark room than in a dimly lit one.
This cyclic pattern of melatonin release helps set the body’s biologic clock. Melatonin supplements taken by mouth can reset this clock, an effect that could benefit jet lag.
According to some studies, evidence indicates that melatonin is indeed effective for this purpose. One of the best supporting studies was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled 320 travelers crossing six to eight time zones. The participants were divided into four groups and given a daily dose of 5 milligrams (mg) of standard melatonin, 5 mg of slow-release melatonin, half a mg of standard melatonin, or placebo. The results of this large study were promising. The group that received 5 mg of standard melatonin slept better, took less time to fall asleep, and felt more energetic and awake during the day than the other three groups.
Other Proposed Natural Treatments
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is a chemical that the body manufactures on its own to serve various biologic purposes. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, thirty-five people taking an overnight flight across four time zones were given either 20 mg of NADH or a placebo sublingually (under the tongue) on the morning of arrival. Participants were twice given wakefulness and mental function tests: first at ninety minutes and then at five hours after landing. People given NADH scored significantly better on these tests than those given a placebo.
Tyrosine is an amino acid found in meat proteins. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study that enrolled twenty members of the US Marine Corps suggests that tyrosine supplements can improve alertness during periods of sleep deprivation. In this study, the participants were deprived of sleep for a night and then tested frequently for their alertness throughout the following day as they worked. Compared to placebo, 10 to 15 grams of tyrosine given twice daily seemed to provide a “pick-up” for about two hours.
Similar benefits were seen with 2 grams of tyrosine daily in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of twenty-one military cadets exposed to physical and psychological stress, including sleep deprivation. These findings suggest that tyrosine could be helpful for jet lag.
Several other natural treatments for jet lag have been suggested, although they lack the rigorous scientific evidence of melatonin and tyrosine. Magnesium may help travelers regulate sleep. Vitamin B complex supplements may increase energy and combat fatigue. Rhodiola Rosea and L-theanine have also been suggested. Caffeine can also be relied upon as an energy booster. Besides these supplements, all the natural treatments used for insomnia may be helpful for getting a good night’s sleep on the first night of travel.
Bibliography
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