Leaping Ahead of Jet Lag
Melatonin offers hope for jet lag
By the editors of Mothernature.com News

What does an obscure hormone have to do with enjoying the holidays or staying sharp for business meetings? Jet lag looms any time you fly across the continent. It is caused by disruption to your biological clock, which is controlled by a hormone called melatonin or, N-acetyl-5-methoxy-tryptamine. Melatonin is produced primarily in the brain's pineal gland - or third eye, for the yogis out there. Melatonin is secreted in response to darkness about eight o'clock at night, from the pineal gland, lowering body temperature and inducing sleep.

Air travel across time zones - especially west to east - disrupts the body's night-to-day cycle, called the circadian rhythm. This disruption causes the slew of unpleasant symptoms known as jet lag. These symptoms include sleep disruption, reduced immunity, poor concentration, irritability, depression, fatigue, disorientation, loss of appetite and upset stomach. Sound fun?

It's been proved that supplemental melatonin can reset your biological clock. Results of a clinical study comparing different methods suggest you should take five mg of melatonin three nights in a row before traveling. Then take it the night of arrival in the destination time zone. Good luck and goodnight!