THE MELATONIN MIRACLE - THE SIMPLE WAy To COPE JET LAG

Time zone traveller who suffer from jetlag can now reset their biological clock by topping up doses of a naturally-produced sleep hormone that is now available in pill form and has been hailed as the Melatonin Miracle.
It has been touted as a wonder product that can treat everything from insomnia and osteoporosis to Parkinson's Disease and cancer while combating ageing and boosting your sex drive all at the same time. While the initial melatonin mania has been tempered by the fact that not all these claims have been conclusively proved scientifically, research into its use in counteracting jet lag suggests that long haul business travellers of the future will not want to leave home without a little bottle of melatonin tablets in their soap bag to help them cope with that morning-after-the-time-zone-before feeling.
In fact, melatonin is not a drug, which makes it so much more acceptable than other types of sleeping pill. In its natural form it is produced by the pineal gland at the base of the brain and is believed to play a vital part in inducing sleep. Its level are light regulated with more being produced during hours of darkness and less in daylight. Small top-up doses have been shown in laboratory tests to accelerate the onset of sleep without harmful side effects or the withdrawal systems of drowsiness, memory loss and performance problems that often result from taking other synthetic types of sleeping pill, making melatonin ideal for the business traveller who needs to hit the ground running.
RESETTING THE BODY CLOCK.
For years, jet lag was considered a state of mind but studies have shown that the condition actually results from an imbalance in the body's natural biological clock caused by travelling to different time zones. This is because the body works on a 24 hour cycle called the circadian rhythm, measured by the distinct rise and fall of body temperature and levels of certain hormones, melatonin being one of them. All of these are influenced by exposure to sunlight and help determine when people sleep and wake.
When travelling to a different time zone, the circadian rhythm is slow to adjust from home time to new time and remains on its original setting for several days so that the body is often preparing to shut down for sleep in the afternoon and firing on all cylinders in the middle of the night. In addition, the higher the altitude, the greater the sleep disturbance, believed to be caused by diminished oxygen levels and accompanying changes in respiration.
A recent survey by America's National Sleep Foundation found that about 50 percent of all business travellers experience jet lag and say their performance and productivity are negatively affected. The problem appears to be worse for women than for men and for older people rather than younger. The body's natural production of melatonin reduces with age which is why scientists believe older people have more difficulty sleeping in general. In a study of people over the age of 65, all reported more sleep and better next-day alertness after two weeks of melatonin use. Melatonin can also help against two other common travel-related stress conditions known as the First Night Effect - trying to sleep in a new or unfamiliar environment - and the On-Call Effect, caused by the worry of being awoken by something - the phone or other disturbances.
Because it is a naturally secreted hormone, melatonin is not a controlled drug and can be bought over the counter at pharmacies and health stores. However in most cases, such as with Millenium Melatonin, supplied by the Andorra-based Farmacia Meritxell, specialists in the importation of the very latest pharmaceuticals from America and Europe, the pill form is constituted from synthesised vegetable proteins rather than animal proteins. This is for the obvious reason that the animal version could contain viruses which are harmful to the human immune system such as CJD. The synthetic form has exactly the same mollecular structure as naturally produced melatonin in humans.
For imsomnia, manufacturers recommend that melatonin should only be taken at night, around 30 minutes before going to bed. Long haul air travellers can, if they like, take a pill in low dose form before boarding the aircraft and, on arrival at their destination, a 3 mg pill before going to bed.
Melatonin may have many other benefits. As well as further research into its potency in regulating other types of sleep disorder such as Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, common in adolescents who can only fall asleep late at night or early in the morning, tests are now underway to determine its effectiveness as an antioxidant and a weapon against cancer.
Meanwhile, in experiments with laboratory mice, those given melatonin were found to have a life expectancy 20 percent greater than the control mice. This is thought to be because melatonin may reduce the damage caused to the body by free radicals, stimulate the immune system and protect the cardiovascular system by maintaining a youthful rhythm. Experiments on mice have also shown that melatonin boosts levels of testosterone and so may be able to prolong the sex life. Who knows, perhaps one day it will be proved that melatonin really is a ready made miracle produced by man himself - his own centuries-old well-kept secret of eternal youth.
FIVE TIPS FOR AVOIDING JET LAG.
- Try to select a flight arriving early in the evening and stay up until 10pm local time. If you must take a daytime nap, make it no longer than two hours.
- Anticipate the time change for trips by getting up and going to bed earlier several days prior to an eastward trip or later for a westward trip.
- Always change your watch to the destination time zone on boarding the plane
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and heavy meals three to four hours before bed time (or forever not consume alcohol) as they are stimulants.
- Get out into the sunlight whenever possible. Daylight is a powerful tool for regulating the biological clock while staying indoors prolongs jet lag.